Kerala can hope for new high speed rail network soon: Sreedharan
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Malappuram (PTI): 'Metroman' E Sreedharan on Saturday said Kerala can hope to see a high-speed rail network that will cut travel-time to Kannur from Thiruvananthapuram to 3.15 hours, as the Centre is expected to formally announce the project soon.
Sreedharan, former Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), said that an office for the high speed rail project has already been established and work on preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) will commence there from February 2.
He said that once approved, the rail project -- which will replace the Left government's ambitious Silverline -- will be completed in five years at a cost of Rs 86,000 crore to Rs one lakh crore.
Of this amount, the state and central governments together will bear 60 per cent and the rest would be borrowed, he said.
He further said that 70 per cent of the rail line would be elevated, 20 per cent underground and only 10 per cent of it would be on the surface.
Therefore, the land to be acquired for it will be only one-third of that required for the Silverline project.
Furthermore, after completion of the project, the surplus land around the pillars would be given on lease for cultivation, he said.
The trains will have eight coaches that will accommodate 560 passengers, will travel at a maximum speed of 200 km per hour and stop at 22 stations, the Metroman said.
The high speed rail line will, however, end at Kannur and will not go up to Kasaragod for now.
"Extending it to Kasaragod or even Mangaluru can be considered later, if necessary," he said.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
