Thiruvananthapuram: Divisional Railway Manager Sunil Bajpai has said that the doubling works are the priority for the division.
Mr Bajpai told reporters here on Thursday that more trains were possible only by increasing the line capacity. This was not the case with the Thiruvananthapuram division but the Indian Railway as a whole.
The main emphasis in the budget was on doubling and laying new lines. The Railway Ministry has decided to double or lay new lines in 2,500 kilometres across the country, Mr Bajpai said.
There was no major difference in the outlay for the state, he said. While the outlay for the last year was Rs 1,098 crore, the railway ministry has earmarked Rs 1,041 crore this year, Mr Bajpai said.
The speed of trains can also be increased by increasing the line capacity. The work relating to doubling of the 11-km Mulanthuruthi- Piravom road stretch in the Kottayam route has already been completed.
The work on the Kurupunthura-Piravom road stretch covering 13 km and Chengannur-Thiruvalla stretch covering nine km would be taken up this year. This would mean that only 41 km will be left out when these stretches are completed in the route.
An amount of Rs 245 crore has been earmarked for this purpose, Mr Bajpai said.
An amount of Rs 245 crore has been earmarked for the doubling of Ernakulam-Alappuzha stretch and Rs 320 crore for the Thiruvananthapuram stretch.
