jun 19th, 2011 CE
this could be a super container port. i am not sure that confusing the issue with a thermal power plant or a naval base or cruise-line base makes a lot of sense, but this is the port that has 24m (72 feet) of undredged depth close to shore -- which is fantastic. it is the deepest-water port in india, and in fact this was not lost on ancient mariners. if i am not mistaken, the vizhinjam-poovar area was the capital of the ay kingdom, and the biblical port of 'ophir' was in fact vizhinjam-poovar.
and this deep-water port is only 40 km away from the north-south national highway to kanyakumari, so if a spur is built to trivandrum, container trucks can easily move upcountry.
similarly, there are three railway lines from trivandrum: one via nagercoil to the trunk route to madurai and upcountry; one via kollam and punalur to shencottah over the western ghats -- this mountain track is scenic but probably not good for container traffic; and then one via ernakulam/palakkad to salem/erode and bangalore/chennai. the route via nagercoil is the best because it is only 50 km from vizhinjam to nagercoil, and there the western ghats have died down into a plain so there is no mountain to cross.
i am just concerned that the planners are not planning for the enormous new ships that, say, maersk just ordered. we have a problem of planning to solve yesterday's problem tomorrow.
anyway, nice writeup by @ajaypp
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