Kerala: Railway Board gives green light to 9.43 km underground rail tunnel to Vizhinjam port
The Southern Railway authorities have approved for the 10.7-km line from Balaramapuram to Vizhinjam. Once the construction of the rail line is finished, the Vizhinjam Seaport tunnel will be the sixth longest rain tunnel (9.43 kms) in the country.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: The Vizhinjam International Seaport is becoming a reality which will change the face of Thiruvananthapuram. A mothership carrying cranes from China will arrive in September to inaugurate the eagerly anticipated Vizhinjam Seaport. Sources claim that the port will use these massive cranes to handle containers.
In the meantime, significant projects connected to Vizhinjam Seaport are being developed in the railway sector. The Southern Railway authorities have approved for the 10.7-km line from Balaramapuram to Vizhinjam.
The proposed rail length is 10.70 kms, of which 9.43 kms will be underground and the remaining 1.20 kms above the ground. Once the construction of the rail line is finished, the Vizhinjam Seaport tunnel will be the sixth longest rail tunnel (9.43 kms) in the country. The Devprayag Rail Tunnel in Uttarakhand is the longest at 15.2 kms long.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 1154 crore which will be completed within three and a half years from the start of construction by the Konkan Rail Corporation. Balaramapuram will become a hub for cargo movement with the addition of a railway station.
The single track will have a maximum depth of 35 metres and a minimum depth of 15 metres. The villages of Balaramapuram, Pallichal, Athiyannur, and Vizhinjam will be traversed by the underground tunnel.
A project to build Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station after an airport is in the works and will cost Rs 496 crore. The Rs 156 crore project, which includes Kochuveli and Nemom as sub-terminals and Thiruvananthapuram Central as the main terminal, is moving along as planned. When the projects are completed, the district's major railway stations will be connected to railroads, turning them into cargo terminals.
Also read: Kerala: Southern Railway revises train timings including Vande Bharat Express; CHECK
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.
