No rail zone for state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  The long-standing demand of  the state for an exclusive railway zone was dashed, even when hopes of  realising  the Palakkad railway coach  factory and Cherthala rail and wagon component factory were rekindled at the high-level meeting between Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi and team and the state government  and MPs here on Monday.    The Railway Ministry officials also emphasised the need for  cost-sharing by the state for expediting the projects. The foundation stone for  the rail coach factory will be laid on October 22 and a RITES report for setting up the Cherthala factory on a  PPP basis  will be filed by November 15,  said Dinesh Trivedi and Union Minister of State K H Muniappa  after the meet, in the presence of  Chief Minister Oommen Chandy  and Minister Aryadan Mohammed, who is also the minister in charge of Railways in the state. The demand for a rail zone was diluted with a substitute proposal to appoint a railway nodal officer for  the state who will coordinate between the state and the Union Railway Ministry.  The meet focussed on the rail needs outside the purview of  the budgetary framework and thereby leaving the Kochi Metro Rail and Sabari project in the ongoing pattern. Complimenting the UDF Government for completing all acquisition procedures of  the land earmarked for  coach factory at Palakkad, Dinesh Trivedi stressed that the functioning of  the Railways will be reoriented with safety as the topmost priority. A weekly train  between Dibrugarh in Assam and Kanyakumari via  Thiruvanthapuram  covering 4,500 km and the daily Palakkad-Mangalore inter-city train will start operations soon.  The daily Rajya Rani Express  covering Nilambur Road-Thiruvananthapuram will be flagged off on October 23. MEMU trains will also starts operations in the state soon, said Vinay Mittal, Railway Board chairman .Out of  the four rakes needed for operations, two have been already allotted and one will be released next month. The MEMU loco shed at Palakkad had been commissioned and work on the one at Kollam will be completed soon, the chairman said. Trivedi said that the deadline for completing rail electrification works in between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari has been set at December 31 this year. The work on the proposed Mysore-Thalaserry rail line will commence soon, Muniappa said. Expressing satisfaction at the outcome of  the meeting,  Oommen Chandy said that there has been a favourable stance for a high-speed rail corridor  from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram,  construction of  rail overbridges,  underpass at Kollam and  other projects. Chandy also announced the formation of a high-level committee with the state chief secretary as chairman to sort out all outstanding issues with Railways on  rail development in the state.