Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), a 51:49 joint venture between the state and Indian Railways, has signed a consultancy contract worth Rs 27 crore with Paris-based Systra to execute the Kasargode-Thiruvananthapuram high-speed rail corridor.
The Systra will submit a detailed project report within seven months, as per the contract.
The 500-km corridor alongside the coastline covering almost the entire length of the state is estimated to cost over Rs 50,000 crore.
The Railways is planning to operate semi-high speed trains, which travel at a speed of 100-150 km per hour, on this corridor.
The high-speed corridor will also be used to operate short distance trains that will facilitate local travel between major cities and suburbs. It is expected to reduce the journey time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod from 12 to 15 hours to 4.5 hours.
If the project becomes a reality, it will become the most expensive state corridor project undertaken by Indian Railways apart from the 345-km Jammu- Udhampur-Katra- Quazigund-Baramulla link, which cost around '95,000 crore.
The international engineering and consulting group provides planning, design, project management and supervision services.
It has a strong presence in the country and is working on several rail projects currently.
As part of the project, it will construct two new tracks to a length of 575 km within five years.
