The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Rail connectivity to Vallarpadam terminal by December

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Saturday, Oct 10, 2009
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Rail connectivity to Vallarpadam terminal by December

Staff Reporter

80% of bridge built over the backwaters
The total cost of the project is Rs.300 crore

KOCHI: The 8.86-km-long railway line from the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal to Edapally will be ready by December.

Some more earth and track work have to be completed, said deputy general manager of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) G. Keshava Chandran, after the last pre-stressed concrete girder to complete the 4.62-km rail bridge on the route was placed at Vaduthala on Friday. He expressed satisfaction that the longest rail over-bridge in the country was completed in two years despite initial hiccups due to land acquisition delays and the fact that about 80 per cent of the bridge is built over the backwaters.

Longest

The bridge pushes the Nehru Setu bridge, near Dehri, on the Sone in Bihar to the second place by more than 1 km. Chairman of the Cochin Port Trust N. Ramachandran too was present at the function.

The Rs.150-crore bridge on the Kochi backwaters was built by AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd for the RVNL. The total project cost for the rail connectivity is Rs.300 crore. Mr Chandran spoke of how the builders imported many pieces of equipment for the speedy completion of the bridge. The RVNL has readied a contemporary railway station at Edapally, while the railway yard at Vallarpadam is getting ready.

“We could prove that such a huge and tough project could be completed on time in Kerala, despite protests over land acquisition. The works are being monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office,” Mr. Chandran said.

The bridge was built using 18,000 tonnes of steel, 50,000 tonnes of cement and is founded over piles totalling about 64,000 metres.

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