Rs 270 million contract signed with Paris-based Systra for Kasargode-Thiruvananthapuram high-speed rail corridor

30 Oct 2018 CW Staff

The Kerala Rail Development Corporation (KRDCL), a 51:49 JV between the state and the Indian Railways, has signed a consultancy pact worth Rs 270 million with Paris-based Systra for the development of the Kasargode-Thiruvananthapuram high-speed rail corridor. According to the contract, Systra will reportedly submit a detailed project report (DPR) in seven months.

The 500-km corridor is expected to have an investment of Rs 500 billion, and will run along the coastline covering almost the entire length of the state. As reported, there are plans from the Railways to run semi-high speed trains on this corridor, which travel at a speed of 100-150 km per hour. Apart from that, the corridor will also find its use in running short distance trains, to bring local travel into effect between major cities and suburbs. This is expected to bring down the travel time between Kasargod and Thiruvananthapuram of 12 to 15 hours to four-and-a-half hours.

If the project is executed properly, this will be en route to become the second-most expensive project taken up by the Indian Railways, after the 345-km Jammu-Udhampur-Katra-Quazigund-Baramulla link with an investment of about Rs 950 billion.

Paris-based Systra, an engineering and consulting group, will offer planning, design, project management and supervision services. Their scope of work includes constructing two new tracks of 575 km length in five years.

Infrastructure Urban

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