The South Central Railway (SCR) completed electrification of 163 route kilometres of railway lines in different sections of Andhra Pradesh. This will lead to a major infrastructure enhancement, particularly in the Rayalaseema region, paving the way for introduction of electric traction in the interior sections of Chittoor, Anantapur and Kurnool districts.
A release from the SCR on Sunday said that electrification of 163 track kilometers was completed including 53.30 km between Kadiri and Tummanam Gutta, 55.80 km between Pakala and Kalikiri and 54.20 km between Dhone and Kurnool city.
The sections between Kadiri–Tummanam Gutta and Pakala–Kalikiri were electrified as part of the Dharmavaram–Pakala electrification project. This project was sanctioned in 2017-18 for a distance of 228 km at an estimated cost of ₹253 crore.
The section between Dharmavaram-Kadiri (67 km) was completed in March 2021. Now, with the completion of the two more sections, 176 km of the entire section stands electrified, while works in the remaining 52 km stretch between Tummanam Gutta and Kalikiri were fast progressing and nearing completion, the SCR release said.
The Dhone–Kurnool city work was part of Dhone–Kurnool city–Mudkhed–Manmad electrification project sanctioned in 2015-16 for 783 km at an estimated cost of ₹900 crore.
Electrification of these sections will provide seamless movement of trains by avoiding changes in traction power and reduced detention of both the coaching and freight trains and improves the average speed of the trains. Besides, the project provides an environment-friendly means of powering the trains while saving fuel costs at the same time.
SCR General Manager Sanjeev Kishore complimented the railway officials at both the zonal and divisional levels for their effective output in terms of railway electrification across the zone. He advised the staff to speed up the electrification work across the zone to complete all the work before the end of 2023.
