The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : SPV planned for rail link to Vallarpadam terminal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 20, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

SPV planned for rail link to Vallarpadam terminal

John L. Paul

Rail Vikas Nigam team to inspect proposed route

KOCHI: The Cochin Port Trust, Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN) and the Container Corporation of India (Concor) will together float a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to construct a rail link to the proposed International Container Transshipment Terminal on Vallarpadam island.

Meeting held

The chairman of the CPT, Jacob Thomas, said that a high-level meeting was held in New Delhi on Tuesday under the chairmanship of T.R. Baalu, Minister for Shipping, to discuss the issue.

The proposed 10.5-km route passes through Bolghatty island and Thantonnituruth island to reach the mainland and then reaches the Edapally railway station through Vaduthala.

The Shipping Ministry is of the opinion that the proposed rail link will be viable, since there will be enough container traffic on rails in the route. A team of officials from the Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN) is scheduled to inspect the proposed rail route from Vallarpadam to Edapally on Saturday, said an engineer in the CPT.

"A route through Vaduthala has been suggested since it does not pass through densely-populated areas of the city. It will not involve large-scale land acquisition either since many portions in the route are marshy areas. The line will take off from the railway gate in Vaduthala and meet at the Edapally Railway Station," said Mathew George, the Ernakulam Area Manager of the Southern Railway.

Other proposals

The earlier proposal to establish a rail link from Vallarpadam to Pachalam through the now unused Ernakulam Railway Goods station had to be dropped after it met with stiff opposition from residents and businesses who will have to surrender land. Establishing an 8.5-km rail link through the route was expected to cost Rs.125 crores.

Yet another proposal for establishing rail connectivity to the island through Cheranaloor, to reach Kalamassery had to be dropped since it was a much longer route, with the need for constructing many bridges.

Beneficiaries contributing their mite to see a rail project through had been seen in the case of the Kochi Refineries Limited bearing the cost for laying a seven-km line from the marshalling yard to its storage depot.

On its part, the Railways uses its expertise to construct the rail lines and maintain them.

The Dubai Port International, the company that won the bid to set up the transshipment terminal, has insisted that the CPT should provide rail connectivity for the project. At least a dozen trains carrying container cargo are expected to use the rail link each day.

Among the main aims of the RVN is to provide strategic rail connectivity to ports and bridges, through public-private partnership models.

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