Title - High Speed Rail corridor project work to commence in 2014

Kochi: The Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation proposes to begin construction of the ambitious High Speed Rail corridor project connecting the state's southern end Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore in Karnataka by January 2014 if all clearances are received by then.Detailed feasibility report was being prepared and the alignment survey was going on, only after which land acquisition would be undertaken, T Balakrishnan, who is heading the corporation, told reporters in Kochi.Land acquisition would be taken up only after two years, he said when asked about the hue and cry over the project. The project will be mostly elevated and when it runs through the city, it would be underground, he said.While the Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram stretch would cost Rs. 1.18 lakh crore, the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi stretch was estimated to cost around Rs. 40,000 crore.The first phase of the project covering Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi stretch would take at least five years to complete and the remaining stretch would be completed by two years, he said.Described as most expensive infrastructure project conceived by the Kerala government, the project when completed will enable one to travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in 142 minutes covering a distance of 526 km.