VIJAYAWADA: Flagging of the Vijayawada-Secunderabad Intercity Superfast Express in Vijayawada on Monday, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said like the introduction of the new train in just fortnight after the request was made, Indian Railways would help the state foster the growth in the state in a similar fast paced manner.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Suresh Prabhu said railways will play its role in the development saga of the new state of Andhra Pradesh. He said the new train will be beneficial in view of shifting of the administrative base to the new capital. “If there is a need, we will introduce more trains on the route,” he said.
Railway Minister also laid foundation stone for doubling of Guntakal-Kallur Railway line and Multi-Modal Logistic Park (Rs 240 crore investment) at Krishnapatnam along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu remotely from Vijayawada.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was all praise for Suresh Prabhu and emphasized the need for Interconnectivity between ports, connectivity between ports and hinterland to transform the state as a logistic hub. Expressing happiness over superfast train between Vijayawada and Hyderabad, Naidu wanted the time of travel to be brought down to less than four hours. He also wanted high speed rail connectivity from Amaravati with four major cities - Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Visakhapatnam and develop railway stations on par with airports.