KALLUR YEDAHALLI H

-The 29.2 Kms section is o­ne of the critical links for trains operating between Northern and Southern parts of the Country.

-The project has been sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 351.8 Crores

Ministry of Railways has been according special emphasis towards creation of infrastructure, with several development works being taken in the recent past. o­ne of the focus areas for Indian Railways has been doubling of critical and saturated sections for improving the mobility of the trains. Taking o­ne more crucial step in this direction, Ministry of Railways has sanctioned doubling of railway line between Gooty – Pendekallu railways stations in Andhra Pradesh. The project stretching for a distance of 29.2 kms has been accorded special sanction at an estimated cost of Rs. 351.8 Crores

The Gooty – Pendekallu section is o­ne of the critical sections in Guntakal Division of South Central Railway handling trains particularly between Secunderabad / Hyderabad and Bengaluru railway stations. The section plays an important role in connecting these both cities & beyond as the most of the trains pass through this section. Over the years, this section has witnessed steady increase in both passenger and freight trains leading to saturation of the section. Doubling of this section will not o­nly ease the train movements and improve operational efficiency but will also provide opportunity to introduce more trains in to this section.

Indian Railways has already sanctioned Doubling of railway line between Pendekallu – Guntur sections as part of the Guntakal – Guntur Doubling project, for which works are already in progress. Similarly, another critical section in the region i.e., Gooty – Dharmavaram has also been converted into a double line section recently. As such, doubling of 29.2 kms railway line between Gooty – Pendekallu railway stations will enable seamless movement of trains along the double lines between Hyderabad / Secunderabad and Bengaluru and beyond in both directions.

The doubling of this critical section along with the other doubling projects being taken up simultaneously in the region will aid in the socio-economic development of the regions. The industry in the region will benefit with faster movement of freight trains, while passengers can benefit with the increase in the average speed of trains in the sections.

Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, South Central Railway has said that doubling of Gooty – Pendekallu will bridge the vital section in the region with other double lines networks in the division. He said that this will help in decongestion of this critical section and provide an opportunity to operate more trains in these sections. He stated that, both passenger and freight customers will benefit from doubling of this section.

-The entire 90 kms stretch between Gooty – Dharmavaram now stand electrified with double line connectivity

-Final stretch between Chigicherla - Dharmavaram for a distance of 11 Kms completed

The continuous focus given by Railways towards completion of last mile / stretch of the projects has taken another significant step with the completion of another vital doubling with electrification project in the state of Andhra Pradesh. South Central Railway has successfully commissioned the doubling and electrification of the section between Chigicherla to Dharmavaram. As a result, the entire 90 kms stretch from Gooty to Dharmavaram now stands electrified with double railway line connectivity.

The Gooty - Dharmavaram Doubling Project is a vital rail link in Andhra Pradesh states and acts as a gateway to South Indian States. This line serves as o­ne of the important routes connecting both the Telugu states with Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka and beyond. The Doubling and Electrification of Gooty - Dharmavaram project for a distance of 90 kms is being executed by Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES). The sanctioned cost of the project is Rs.636.38 crore and the project is completely funded by Railways.

Works o­n the 90 kms stretch between Gooty – Dharmavaram were taken in phases. Initially, doubling and electrification works between Kalluru - Garladinne for a distance of 13 Kms were completed during September, 2019. This was followed with commissioning of 11 Kms between Chigicherla and Zangalapalle during June 2020, 9 Kms between Garladinne - Taticherla during November 2020, 27 Kms between Kalluru - Gooty during October 2021 and 19 Kms between Taticherla - Zangalapalle in August, 2022. Now, with the completion of the last stretch of 11 Kms, the entire project stands commissioned for train operations.

This project will ease the congestion o­n this vital saturated section and enables to run more number of Passenger and Freight trains towards Bengaluru and beyond. It will also help in increasing the average speed of the trains in the section, while also aiding in the socio-economic development of the region with enhanced train connectivity. The double line works between Dharmavaram - Bengaluru over SWR jurisdiction are also progressing simultaneously with some of the sections already completed.

Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, South Central Railway congratulated the entire team of Officers and staff of SCR Construction Organisation, Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) team and Guntakal Division who have been actively involved in commissioning this vital project. The General Manager stated that the doubling of this important section leads in enhancing the operational efficacy of the train movements and will ease the movement of both passenger and freight trains in this section.