E Sreedharan, an engineer, has proposed an alternative to the controversial SilverLine project to the government of Kerala. The 530 km semi-fast railway network has been criticised for environmental concerns, land acquisition problems and high costs. Sreedharan's proposal, which the state government received positively, envisages a more environmentally friendly, underground or elevated line that would only take up 20 m of land, some of which could be given back for agriculture. He emphasises that his design is only feasible if the SilverLine project is abandoned.
