Kerala has three main choices before it in terms of developing a speedy mass rapid transport system to ensure faster commutes for its burgeoning population and traffic requirement, says Alok Verma, one of the experts who worked with Paris-based consultancy Systra for preparing the feasibility report for the SilverLine project. He later became an ardent critic of the project.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Verma says the State, with its rich endowment of paddy fields and waterbodies, has certain limitations in experimenting with projects such as SilverLine.
Instead of going after stand-alone projects cut off from the main lines, the State should explore the possibility of introducing tilting trains in the existing broad gauge rail tracks which will allow Kerala to increase the speed of trains by about 20%-30%, says Mr. Verma. (Tilting trains, which have a mechanism enabling higher speed on regular broad-gauge tracks, tilt while negotiating a bend or curve on the track, just as a motorbike on a winding road.)
