Thiruvananthapuram | To improve the railway network in Kerala, the Ministry of Railways has sanctioned surveys for preparation of DPR for seven projects with high-speed potential of 160 kilometers per hour.

The seven projects include the 307 km long Shoranur-Mangalore 3rd and 4th line, 99 km long Coimbatore-Shoranur 3rd and 4th line, 106 km long Shoranur-Ernakulam 3rd line and the 115 km long Ernakulam-Kayamkulam 3rd line (via Kottayam), an official release on Friday said.

The other projects include the 105 km long Kayamkulam-Thiruvananthapuram 3rd line, the 71 km long Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil 3rd line and the 46 km long Turavur-Ambalappuzha doubling, it said.

After firming up of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), sanctioning of the projects requires consultation with various stake-holders, including state governments and necessary approvals like appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc., the release said.

"As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed," it added.