Konkan Railway bagged its first project in Kerala after it inked an agreement with the Vizhinjam port in the coastal state to build a connecting rail line, the rail operator said.

“We have entered into an agreement, covering the project report as well as construction, with the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), a Kerala government undertaking, to build a 12 kilometre line connecting the port with the national network at Balarampuram, south of state capital Thiruvananthapuram,” KR officials said.

The rail connectivity to the upcoming Vizhinjam International Multipurpose Deepwater Seaport here will be from Balaramapuram railway station on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari railway line.

He added that some eight kms of this line would run through tunnels and the project would cost Rs 555 crore excluding the price of land.

The Kerala government holds a six per cent stake in Konkan Railway. The proposal for the 12-km connectivity to the seaport was prepared by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL).