Title - Suburban railway corridor proposed for capital city

A suburban railway corridor has been proposed for an easy transit of rail commuters from here. Addressing a meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club here on Wednesday, Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agrawal said that it would extend up to Chengannur or Kayamkulam or Haripad. “Thiruvananthapuram, compared to other districts in the state, is densely populated. The district also has lot of suburban points which demands a better mobility of passengers,” he said.

Agrawal said that the corridor was envisaged on the lines of the Mumbai Suburban Rail where around 3,000 suburban trains ply on a day. The Railway has submitted a proposal to the State Government regarding it. The plan is  to run air-conditioned MEMU services on the existing tracks and increase the facilities as per demand.

“Now it is up to the State Government to write to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC). If they are chosen for consultancy, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) could be made for the suburban rail here,” Agrawal said. MRVC is undertaking the infrastructure development of Mumbai Suburban Railway system.

He also expressed hope that if things fall in place a suburban rail corridor could be realised between Thiruvananthapuram and Kayamkulam within two to five years.