Kochi, Dec 5 (PTI) Reviving hopes for the Left government's ambitious semi-high-speed rail project, Kerala Rail Development Corporation authorities held discussions with Southern Railway authorities on Thursday.

Expressing optimism about the discussions, Ajith Kumar, managing director of Kerala Rail Development Corporation told reporters after the meeting that the talks "were positive". "... further talks will be held," he said.

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The multi-crore project had been shelved for some time due to intense protests from opposition parties, and the general public, and delays in obtaining permission from the Union government.

However, hopes for the project were reignited after Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated that the project could proceed if the state authorities addressed the technical and environmental issues in its design.

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The Railway Minister, during his recent visit to Kerala, mentioned that he had discussed the matter with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during their last meeting in New Delhi.

Ajith Kumar held talks with the Chief Administrative Officer of Southern Railway at the chief administrative office in Kochi, according to railway sources. The meeting lasted about half an hour.

Meanwhile, the Silver Line Virudha Jankeeya Samiti (Anti-Silver Line People's Committee) staged a protest march to Ernakulam South Railway Station, opposing the government's move.

Protests were also held in Kozhikode district, with demonstrators demanding the cancellation of the Silver Line project.

Former MLA Joseph M Puthusseri, who inaugurated the protest, said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by K-Rail Corporation was based on incomplete studies and should be rejected.

He further stated that Kerala needs third and fourth broad-gauge railway tracks in collaboration with Indian Railways, rather than the Silver Line project.

The K-Rail semi-high-speed rail corridor aims to improve transportation along the entire north-south stretch of Kerala and reduce travel time to less than four hours, compared to the current 12 to 14 hours.

The proposed Silver Line would cover a 530-kilometre stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and be developed by K-Rail, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways.

Opposition parties, including Congress and BJP in Kerala, have protested against the Silver Line project, alleging that it will "displace families and cause social and environmental harm."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)