HYDERABAD: The South Central Railways (SCR) is chugging ahead fast, be it on development of infrastructure, completion of long-pending projects, or on ensuring 100 per cent electrification by March 2021. In a freewheeling interaction with the editorial team of Express on Monday, SCR general manager Vinod Kumar Yadav said complete electrification of the zone would improve average speed of trains.
Doubling and tripling of lines on single-line routes are also top priority, he said.
Explaining the delay in electrification, Yadav said that while previously funds being sanctioned was a problem, it’s now more an issue now. Last year, SCR spent Rs 1,750 crore on boosting infrastructure while another whopping Rs 2,000 crore has been assigned for this financial year.
Works, meanwhile, are being undertaken on a war footing, he said. Last year a total of 608 km were electrified. In the previous year, 791 km were covered. Similarly, focus on increasing the number of lines is also high. Because nearly half of the railway network in the zone still has only a single line, SCR is not able to handle traffic efficiently.
“In the next four years, we plan to lay at least 900 km of triple lines and 1,000 km of double lines. A budget of Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for the same,” Yadav said. “In the current financial year, doubling of lines along 350 km is proposed to be completed and the following financial year another 500 km will be covered,” he said.
He said that funds allocated for works is substantial when compared to previous years. It would help SCR complete several pending projects with emphasis being on infrastructure and safety, he said. Unlike in Europe and other developed countries, all trains -- like goods train, passenger train and mail express -- run on the same tracks. “If we are serious about increasing speed of trains, we need dedicated tracks.”
He said a dedicated freight corridor was being planned in this regard.
It would cover more than a 100 stations and terminals along a 3,360 kilometre-long route, all of them specially designed, linking eastern and western seaports to the northern heartland. This freight corridor is likely to be completed in the next 3-4 years. This is touted to be a big ticket move that will reduce congestion and improve speed of trains.
Stations in outskirts to reduce congestion in city
The three major stations in the city -- Secunderabad, Nampally and Kacheguda -- have been developed to the fullest capacity. There’s no more physical space here to add more platforms. However, if something is not done, things will take a turn for worse in the next five years. As number of trains, passengers and services increase, these three stations and roads leading to them will face massive congestion.
To avoid such a scenario, the SCR is planning alternative stations. Three other terminals will come up in the city outskirts, at Lingampally, Cheralpally and Nagulapally, to reduce the burden on the trio inside the city. “I met the Chief Secretary several times over the last two years and explained the need for alternative stations,” said Yadav.
“Whatever limited space is available at Cherlapally, which is about 50 acres, will be developed as a terminal. About Rs 226 crore will be spent on developing six lines and platforms,” he said. For the Nagalupally terminal, meanwhile, SCR has sought a whopping 33 acres. The facility here is likely to be much bigger, with platforms, lines and building complexes.
The State government and SCR officials have started conducting joint surveys and the latter has demanded at least 150 acres to proceed with the works. At Lingampally, two lines have been developed in the limited land that is available. About Rs 5 crore has been spent on developing the terminal and four trains are already going there now. Further expansion, Yadav said, would be taken up by the SCR.
Good news for passenger train commuters
Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) and Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) will soon replace passenger trains. There are technical issues with passenger trains as the loco engine has to be moved which takes one hour. The move is likely to end complaints of old coaches in passenger trains.
Kazipet workshop in a limbo
The proposed construction of periodical wagon overhauling (POH) workshop at Kazipet, spread over 160 acres of land, hangs in balance. The SCR is waiting for State government to handover the land at the earliest. Though railways had allocated Rs 500 crore for the project, the funds could lapse if the delay continues and the money could get diverted for other works, warned Yadav. The land is under disputes with the Endowments Department.
Will AP be getting a separate zone?
Regarding the separate Railway Zone for Andhra Pradesh, SCR said that matter is pending with Railway Board, which has to take a decision. He said that railway zones are not divided based on states due to operational reasons and technical issues. Then, all the states will ask for separate zone, he said.
Five stations to recieve a boost
SCR will develop as many as five stations -- Warangal, Guntur, Kurnool, Guntakal and Vijayawada -- by spending Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore on each of them for better travel experience.
Unmanned crossings to go soon
A core area of attention for SCR is the safety of train operations, towards which a zero-tolerance policy is in place to maintain its nil accident track record. To enhance safety the remaining 22 Unmanned Level Crossings will be done with by October 31