Wayanad: An aerial survey to prepare the final report for the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway project connecting Nilambur in Kerala and Nanjangud in Karnataka with a rail link through Wayanad, is progressing fast, said the Nilgiri-Wayanad Railway and National Highway Action Council.

The project had been hanging fire for more than a decade. According to reports, the Southern Railway took over the project on its own, sanctioning Rs 5.9 crore for the Final Location Survey (FLS) in May 2023.

Addressing a press conference here, the Convener of the Action Council, Advocate T M Rasheed, said using satellite images, the alignment of the railway line has been marked. “The location survey using helicopters has been launched,” he said.

“The survey of land covering 100 km from Nilambur was completed by Saturday evening, Rasheed said, adding that the survey up to Nanjangud would be completed by Sunday. The Action Council congratulated the central government for its commitment to execute the project.

The UDF government had appointed E Sreedharan, former managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to prepare the final survey for the Wayanad Rail project in 2013. The LDF government that followed allegedly refused to release Rs 2 crore sanctioned for the DPR, forcing Sreeedharan and DMRC, which had opened an office for the project in Kozhikode, to wind up the project.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed Sreedharan to conduct a viability study on the Thalassery-Mysore rail link. Sreedharan reportedly submitted a negative report calling the project ‘unviable’. Then transport secretary K R Jyothilal had sanctioned Rs 8 crore for DMRC for the final survey of the project and ordered an immediate release of Rs 2 crore as first instalment on February 12, 2017.

The Action Council claims that the interest shown by the office of the Chief Minister in the Thalassery-Mysore rail link caused much delay in the execution of the Nilambur-Nanjangud project. “We expect a first budget allocation for the first phase of the project in the upcoming railway budget,” Rasheed said.

The British had started the survey for the Nilambur-Nanjangud railway in the late 19th century. The most recent survey prior to now was in 2004 when the railway board submitted areport to the planning commission after detailed perusal. Once completed, this line is expected to connect Kochi with Bengaluru in 7 hours.