86% Keralites want high-speed rail project

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2 (IANS) The proposed high-speed rail project in Kerala, which will pass through 11 districts, has the approval of 86 per cent people, according to a survey.

The result of the survey was released to the media here on Thursday.

The approximate cost of the 430-km long track that the bullet train would run on is expected to be around Rs 65,000 crore and would run from the state capital to Kannur.

The travel time is expected to be around 150 minutes and the distance from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi would be covered in 40 minutes.

The survey was conducted by research organisation 'C fore' to assess the public perception about the proposed high-speed rail project by the state-owned Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (KHSRCL).

The survey was conducted between November 23, 2016 and January 14, 2017, where 13,447 adults were interviewed from 110 assembly constituencies in 11 districts.

"Overall 86 per cent of the respondents approved of the project. The main reason given by respondents for approval of the project was saving of time in commuting from one part of Kerala to another," said the survey findings.

"Many respondents also believed that the project will be a catalyst for development of the state and will also result in decreasing pollution as better public transport will result in less number of private vehicles being used," said the survey.

The total land that has to be acquired for this project is around 600 hectares and the completion time required is about six years.

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