Decks cleared for doubling, electrification.

Decks have been cleared for the doubling and electrification of 86.56-km Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kanyakumari railway line with the Centre on Wednesday giving the approval for the much-delayed works, along with doubling of two other railway corridors.

The 160-km stretch from Madurai Junction to Thoothukudi and the 102-km line from Vanchi Maniyachi to Nagercoil Junction are the stretches that have got the approval for doubling from the Cabinet subcommittee on economic affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways, and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan, who represents Kanyakumari constituency in the Lok Sabha, has tweeted the decision taken by the Union Cabinet to give the approval for three railway corridors in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

With the nod for doubling, the zonal Railways -Southern Railways - can take steps to approach the State for acquiring the land needed and to float bids for the works. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari doubling works will be under the supervision of the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), Ernakulam, railway sources said.

In May this year, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) had given the nod for doubling of three crucial railway corridors at an estimated cost of ₹3,616.90 crore. In the Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kanyakumari stretch coming under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division, the estimate had gone up from the initial ₹950 crore to ₹1,431.90 crore. With a 5% cost escalation, the doubling, on completion in 2021, will cost ₹ 1,552.94 crore.

Doubling of the Madurai Junction-Thoothukudi stretch will cost ₹1,272 crore and the Vanchi Maniyachi-Nagercoil Junction stretch, ₹1,114.62 crore. The estimates include the 5% cost escalation. Doubling of both the lines will be completed in 2021.

The proposed doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari line will be under the supervision of the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), Ernakulam, sources said. The doubling of Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kanyakumari will help Railways operate more mail, express, and goods trains via Nagercoil Junction and Madurai Junction. It is also needed for rail connectivity to the upcoming Vizhinjam International Multi-Purpose Deepwater Seaport.

THE HINDU