The Railways have awarded two contracts to undertake studies on ways to increase train speed in the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru corridor to 130 kmph, and later to 160 kmph as part of a nationwide initiative to speed up trains.
Efforts are underway to modify tracks and teams have begun work on identifying curves which prompt trains to slow down and find out ways to straighten them within the railway land. Based on the GPS details thus arrived at, a low-flying helicopter would capture the data and this would help conduct a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey for the purpose. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given its approval to operate the helicopter in the second week of July, 2023.
The details thus garnered will help generate a 3D image of the alignment and investigate if there is a need to acquire land, and also assess if straightening will affect the track alignment at railway stations and bridges en route. Meanwhile, a detailed project report (DPR) for laying the third and fourth tracks on the Ernakulam-Shoranur stretch would be submitted to the Railway Board by July-end. Another DPR to double the track at the one-km triangle connecting Vallathol Nagar with Shoranur and the railway cabin on the Palakkad side is expected to be completed within two months.
