Title - Govt support sought for speeding up rail travel

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Imagine being able to reach the capital city from Kozhikode by train in five hours. And that too not on the much-publicized high speed rail corridor, but on the existing rail network!The Jan Satabdi Express (Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode) travelling at 120 kmph to reach its destination in five hours was one among the recommendations that came up at the national seminar conducted by NATPAC (National Transportation Planning and Research Centre), which conclude here on Tuesday.B G Sreedevi, director, NATPAC said such a feat would be possible if the government of Kerala extended the necessary support for the project.Highly placed railway officials in the state said that it could become a reality if the requisite infrastructure was present, but that that would require state support."Jan Satabdi trains, whose average speed is 87 kmph, unfortunately has only an average speed of 55 kmph in Kerala due to line congestion and absence of double lines.Completion of doubling alone will help us to save at least an hour of travelling time. And adequate increase in speed will help us make the train reach its destination in five hours. Increase in speed of up to 120 kmph is surely possible in Kerala, but for that the state should complete the land acquisition process to enable railways to complete the doubling process," said an official in Thiruvananthapuram railway division.While the seminar also advocated introducing Kairali agro trains to transport agricultural products from one end of the state to the other, its main emphasis was on improving efficiency and speed of trains.The seminar that saw the presentation of 25 technical papers on various modes of transport, pushed incorporating multiple objectives like cost effective, moderate capital investment and utilization of local resources. The emphasis was on introducing a multi-modal form of transport development integrating all modes of transport.Delivering the valedictory address, public works minister V K Ibrahim Kunju said the problems faced by the government in its attempt to develop cities, towns and villages were numerous."From environmental issues to litigations against land acquisition, the government faces stiff resistance from the public. But we cannot go on like this for long as our roads are getting congested. From taxation on households that have more than one vehicle, to integration of transportation modes we are considering measures to improve matters," minister said.