Konkan Railway to start ₹1,069-cr rail & tunnel projects

The Konkan Railway will soon start construction work on the 10.7 km railway line, which includes a 9.02 km long tunnel, connecting the Vizhinjam International Multipurpose Deepwater Seaport with the railway network. The ₹1,069 crore tunnel, which is going to become the second longest tunnel in the country, has been mooted by the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRCL). It will start from the Balarampuram station on the Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram railway line and also the Balaramapuram-Vizhinjam line. The DPR for the project has been submitted by KRCL to the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), a special purpose vehicle created to supervise the execution of the seaport project. KRCL believes that the proposed single line railway project would be sufficient for the movement of nine to ten rakes every day for the next two decades. Further, a committee of the Department of Ports Officials from VISL and Railways are working on procedures to develop the Balarampuram Railway Station as part of the linking to the seaport.