Kerala Enlists Metro Man for New Rail Project

12 Feb 2025 CW Team

To assess the feasibility of this new proposal, a delegation led by KM Abraham, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar, held informal discussions with renowned engineer E Sreedharan, widely known as Metro Man of India, at his residence in Ponnani.

Earlier, Sreedharan had met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, offering his expertise for the project. The proposed rail corridor, which is planned to run on elevated tracks and through tunnels, is designed to reduce the need for large-scale land acquisition. The 430 km stretch will feature 15 stations, spaced approximately 25 to 30 km apart, with trains reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h.

Sreedharan has consistently argued that the SilverLine project, which would require extensive land acquisition and displace many residents, is not feasible. He recommended that the Kerala government entrust the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this new route to either the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) or Indian Railways.

The Kerala government is keen to move ahead with the project, provided it receives approval from the Centre for conducting a survey and establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). Consultations with the central government have already begun.

Sreedharan pointed out that the new project would benefit both long- and short-distance travellers. He also emphasised that adding third and fourth tracks or straightening existing curves for speed increases were not feasible due to the current railway infrastructure, and operating passenger and freight trains on the same tracks posed safety concerns.

The final alignment for this new track will be determined separately from the earlier proposed Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed corridor in DMRC's DPR.

While the proposed SilverLine semi-high-speed rail corridor along the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod route remains stalled, the Kerala government is now considering an alternative project for a similar rail system on a standard-gauge track connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur (430 km). To assess the feasibility of this new proposal, a delegation led by KM Abraham, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar, held informal discussions with renowned engineer E Sreedharan, widely known as Metro Man of India, at his residence in Ponnani. Earlier, Sreedharan had met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, offering his expertise for the project. The proposed rail corridor, which is planned to run on elevated tracks and through tunnels, is designed to reduce the need for large-scale land acquisition. The 430 km stretch will feature 15 stations, spaced approximately 25 to 30 km apart, with trains reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h. Sreedharan has consistently argued that the SilverLine project, which would require extensive land acquisition and displace many residents, is not feasible. He recommended that the Kerala government entrust the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this new route to either the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) or Indian Railways. The Kerala government is keen to move ahead with the project, provided it receives approval from the Centre for conducting a survey and establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). Consultations with the central government have already begun. Sreedharan pointed out that the new project would benefit both long- and short-distance travellers. He also emphasised that adding third and fourth tracks or straightening existing curves for speed increases were not feasible due to the current railway infrastructure, and operating passenger and freight trains on the same tracks posed safety concerns. The final alignment for this new track will be determined separately from the earlier proposed Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed corridor in DMRC's DPR.

Real Estate

02 Apr 2026

Indian real estate attracts USD 1.4 bn institutional investments in Q1 2026: Vestian

Institutional investments in India’s real estate sector touched USD 1.4 billion in Q1 2026, marking the highest first-quarter inflow since 2022, according to Vestian. While investments fell 62 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to an exceptionally high base in the previous quarter, they rose 74 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting sustained investor confidence despite rising geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges.Commercial real estate remained the key driver of investment activity during the quarter, accounting for 80 per cent of total inflows, sharply higher than 38 p..

Infrastructure Transport

02 Apr 2026

VECV crosses 1 lakh annual vehicle sales milestone in FY26

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has surpassed the 1 lakh annual sales mark in FY 2025–26, recording its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales performance. The company said it sold more than 100,000 vehicles during the year, marking a major milestone aligned with the original vision of the Volvo–Eicher joint venture.The strong performance was supported by demand across categories. Light and Medium Duty (LMD) trucks contributed 47,789 units, accounting for 46.1 per cent of total sales. Heavy Duty (HD) trucks recorded 26,867 units (25.9 pe..

Technology

02 Apr 2026

Rodic Digital & Advisory partners SatSure to deploy EO intelligence in public sector

Rodic Digital & Advisory (RDA), the strategic advisory and digital transformation arm of Rodic Consultants, has signed a strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SatSure to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s public sector. The collaboration aims to integrate high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data and geospatial AI into government workflows to strengthen monitoring, compliance, and operational decision-making across key sectors.The partnership combines SatSure’s Earth intelligence capabilities with RDA’s expertise in government digital transformation and ..