Detractors of SilverLine, the semi-high-speed rail project, are of the opinion that the project will not benefit the common man as they will not be able to afford a charge of ₹3.9 per km. A journey on SilverLine on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod stretch is expected to cost around ₹2,000. However, a car passenger who travels on the national highway stretch that runs parallel to the proposed SilverLine will pass through 10 or 11 toll booths and will have to pay around ₹1,500 as toll alone, apart from the fuel expenses.
According to a senior Transport department officer, national highway four-lane works to the tune of ₹1.31 lakh crore, including cost of civil works and land acquisition, are under way in the State.
Once the works are completed, there would be 32 toll booths on the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram stretch. Of these, seven are functional now. An average of ₹120 would be charged on a vehicle in each toll booth and a commuter will have to shell out around ₹3,800 as toll to reach the State capital from Kasaragod. A senior National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) official told The Hindu that the number of toll booths might go up as there would be a toll booth in every 60 km.
