Final location survey for Nilambur Nanjangud railway route starts

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru/Mysuru: In a bid to connect Kerala and Karnataka through rail, an aerial survey for the NilamburNanjangud railway project has started recently.

The Nilgiri-Wayanad Railway and National Highway Action Council have reportedly said that the route will connect Nilambur in Kerala and Nanjangud in Karnataka with a rail link through Wayanad.

Advocate T M Rasheed, whose team will lead the survey has reportedly said that the railway lines were aligned with the satellite images.

The project had been subject to delays due to political furore and change ofn government. The then United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala had appointed E Sreedharan, former MD of Delhi Metro to prepare the final survey for the Wayanad Rail project in 2013.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) which took the reins later, allegedly refused to release Rs 2 crore for the report, forcing Sreeedharan to wind up the project.

He was directed to conduct a viability study from Thalassery in Coastal Kerala to Mysuru by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. Sreedharan reportedly called the project 'unviable'. The Action Council is expecting financial support for the first phase.

"We expect allocation in the railway budget," Rasheed said. According to reports, Rs 5.9 crore for the Final Location Survey (FLS) was sanctioned by the Southern Railway in May 2023.

It would take only 7 hours to travel from Bengaluru to Ernakulam, once the rail route is established.