Kerala CM Vijayan meets PM Modi, discusses SilverLine project

New Delhi, Mar 24: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, seeking faster approvals for the ambitious SilverLine project.

After the meeting, the Kerala CM said that he had a healthy meeting with the Prime Minister.

Addressing the press in the national capital, Vijayan claimed that the PM assured him of discussing the project with the Railway Minister. The chief minister also expressed hope that approvals from the Centre for the semi-high-speed rail project will come faster. The SilverLine project, also known as the K-Rail project, would cover the 530-kilometre stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in the state. It would be developed by K-Rail -- a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways.

The Prime Minister Office shared the pictures of the meeting on Twitter.

The Kerala government's ambitious SilverLine project, which is expected to reduce travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to around four hours, is being opposed by the opposition Congress-led UDF, which has been alleging that it was "unscientific and impractical" and will put a huge financial burden on the state.

Starting from the state capital, SilverLine trains will have stoppages at Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode and Kannur before reaching Kasaragod.