South Central Railway (SCR) on Sunday commissioned the double line between Munumaka and Satulur for a distance of 16.6 km as part of the Guntur-Guntakal doubling and electrification project. This section falls mostly in the Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh.
With the completion of the doubling of this section, there will be continuous double line facility, along with electrification, for the 176 km between Guntur and Jaggambotla Krishnapuram. It is a vital rail link connecting Guntur with the Rayalaseema region and beyond.
This line passes through Guntur, Prakasam, Palnadu, Nandyal and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh, connecting its hinterland. The project was sanctioned in 2016–17 for a distance of 401 km with an estimated cost of ₹3,887 crore, accordig to an official release.
Electrification of sections Nallapadu–Satulur (32 km), Munumaka–Jaggambotla Krishnapuram (122 km), Betamcherla-Malkapuram (23 km) and Dhone–Guntakal (68 km) has already been completed and commissioned. With this, a total of 245 km of this project was completed and commissioned.
With the completion of another 16 km between Munumaka–Satulur, around 261 km stretch of doubling works with electrification has been completed on the different sections of Guntur–Guntakal section.
Also, with the completion of the doubling of Munumaka- Satulur section, the continuous stretch from Guntur–Jaggambotla Krishnapuram and Dhone to Guntakal now stands electrified along with the double line. Work on the balance sections of the project is under way.
Completion of doubling and electrification on these sections will not only decongest the section but also help increase the average speed of trains. This will facilitate the introduction of new trains on the section and help operate trains towards eastern parts of the country such as Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and beyond from the Rayalaseema region of Southern Andhra Pradesh more efficiently.
Special Trains
SCR will run Deepavali/Chhath festival special trains between Hyderabad and Cuttack [Train No. 07165 Hyderabad–Cuttack (Tuesdays)] on November 7, 14 and 21. It will start from Hyderabad at 8.10 p.m. and reach Cuttack at 5.45 p.m. the next day.
Train No. 07166 Cuttack–Hyderabad (Wednesdays) will run on November 8, 15 and 22. It start from Cuttack at 10.30 p.m. and reach Hyderabad at 9 p.m. the next day.
On the route, these special trains will stop at Secunderabad, Nalgonda, Miryalaguda, Sattenapalle, Guntur Jn, Vijayawada Jn, Eluru, Rajamahendravaram, Samalkot Jn, Annavaram, Anakapalli, Duvvada, Kottavalasa, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam Road, Palasa, Berhampur, Khurda Road and Bhubaneswar stations in both directions, according ta a press release.
Walkathon
SCR also organised an ‘Integrity Walkathon’ as part of vigilance awareness week, with General Manager Arun Kumar Jain flagging off and leading the rally to spread awareness on the importance of vigilance awareness. The rally aimed to reaffirm the commitment of the SCR to promote integrity and probity in public life, create public awareness, publicise the impact of corruption and bring down the menace.
