Visakhapatnam: A project to significantly reduce train travel time between major cities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has reached a critical stage as the alignment of the semi-high speed rail corridor between Shamshabad-Visakhapatnam (Duvwada) has been finalised by the Railway officials.
The route is proposed via Suryapet and Vijayawada. As part of the ambitious project, another corridor will be constructed from Visakha to Kurnool via Vijayawada and Suryapet, official sources said.
The corridor will start from Visakha and reach Kurnool via Suryapet, Nalgonda, Kalvakurti and Nagarkurnool. According to official sources, the preliminary engineering and traffic (PET) survey of these projects has reached the final stage. The survey report will be submitted to the Railway Board in November as per the officials.
This will be the first semi-high-speed corridor in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Another feature of the project is the planning to connect Shamshabad and Rajamahendravaram airports on this route. The Ministry of Railways has drafted a plan to enable air passengers to reach their hometowns faster in semi-high-speed trains. If the project materialises, it will be possible to reach Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad (Shamshabad) airport within four hours. Currently, the train journey between these two cities takes 12 hours, it added.
Drastic Reduction In Travel Time
Trains from Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam travel via two routes. First is along the Warangal-Khammam-Vijayawada route while the second operates along the Nalgonda-Guntur and Vijayawada route having a maximum speed of 110-130 km per hour only. Compared to these two, the trains along the upcoming Shamshabad-Visakhapatnam route will operate at double the speed which will reduce the travel time by half, official sources added.
Kurnool route
Visakhapatnam-Shamshabad Semi High Speed Corridor is another key point in the proposed route. A connecting route from Visakhapatnam to Kurnool is proposed via Suryapet. A total of eight railway stations are proposed on this route. Many new towns and districts in Telangana are likely to join the railway network with the new corridor including Narkatpally, Nakirekal, Suryapet and Kodada in the joint Nalgonda district that do not have a railway line as of date. Similarly, the towns of Kalwakurti, Vanaparthi and Nagarkurnool in the joint Mahabubnagar district do not have a railway line, official sources added.
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