My Open Letter to Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji, distinguished Minister of Railways on the subject:
"The Kerala Silverline, the most deceptive scheme for any large-scale public rail project, and its implications for the nation's rail transportation system"..
..This letter is in the larger context of how the thoughtlessly planned & executed mega schemes & projects for construction of highspeed & semi-highspeed lines on Standard Gauge, the DFCs and the strategically vital lines in the Himalayas are threatening the future of rail..
.. transportation particularly travel by passenger trains in India
..letter to the Minister of Railway, just 2 days before the above order was issued by Kerala Govt, the cause of this deceptive & fraudulent plan's existence is that Rly Bd granted In-principle Approval based on a thoroughly fabricated Feasibility Report..
..which KRDCL hurriedly submitted to Borad in June'2019 just 3 months after the Preliminary Feasibility Report (which was prepared under my guidance) stronly advising KRDCL against the plan was given to KRDCL
Road and Rail lines in the Border Regions of Himalayas
Inherently rail lines are more reliable and efficient than roads. As we go up in the Himalayas it is difficult to get speeds above 20 kmph even in fair weather.
.. systematically building a rail network on its side of Himalayas which along with roads will serve a vast area from Sichuan to the western end of Tibet.
I am working on such a plan of lines in Himalayas in India.
..for higher speed of trains, so go for loan from Jica even if it means building a standalone line on SG which will be subsidized for ever by the taxpayer for travel by the affluent.
So govt subsidy for the affluent by the taxpayer.
I will post a detailed analysis tomorrow.
..To R. V. G. Menon:
Sir, you came out swinging! Suboth Jain couldn't give straight answer to even question. For example, your question about existing trains not being able to run on the Standard Gauge Silverline.
This article today in Hindu says MD/KRDCL wrote to SYSTRA rejecting Alok Verma's report & asked "Systra to re-work the alignment and cost and submit a fresh report."
..but would urge editors of Hindu to fully expose this campaign of disinformation. Please ask MD/KRDCL to substantiate his claim that this is Alok Verma's report.
The truth: It is Systra's report (See scan of the cover of the report).
Did Systra submit a fresh report? .. 2/3
..If so, where is that report.
The truth: SYSTRA did not submit revised report. Thus, this report of 18.3.19 stands as the final Preliminary Feasibility Report.
I have clarified this in my recent press note of 25.4.22. Copy below... 3/3
K-Rail and Railway Board's history of approving projects without proper ground surveys & feasibility studies
With Railway Board still dragging its feet about rescinding the In-principle Approval for the K-Rail plan, it is necessary to ask why Railway Board refuses to learn..
.. lessons from its fiasco in Himalayas where since 1997, Rly Bd approved alignments for as many as eight new line projects in the challenging landslide-prone terrain without any ground surveys, on just paper alignments.
My post in the link above contains a detailed account....
..The latest victims of this approach are the plan for the semi-highspeed line in Kerala & the strategically important Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line.