VIJAYAWADA: The South Central Railway (SCR) has entered into an agreement with Krishnapatnam Railway Company Ltd (KRCL) for operation and maintenance of a new railway line between Krishnapatnam and Obulavaripalli for a distance of 119 km.
The agreement was signed in the presence of SCR GM Gajanan Mallya and Principal chief commercial manager G John Prasad and KRCL managing director K Siva Prasad on Monday, November 8, 2021. In a press release issued here, Mallya said the Grand Trunk line between Vijayawada and Gudur is busy and over-saturated with continuous movement of passenger and freight traffic.
“The freight trains from and to Krishnapatnam Port were earlier operated via Gudur and Renigunta. Due to heavy movement of freight trains, the section is fully congested leading to detention of the trains. To mitigate this problem and to enhance the loading from Krishnapatnam Port, a new Railway line project was sanctioned between Krishnapatnam Port and Obulavaripalli,” he said.The project was executed through a Special Purpose Vehicle.
Mallya further said the entire railway line was successfully completed and the last stretch between Obulavaripalli and Venkatachalam including the longest electrified tunnel of 6.6 km length was commissioned in July, 2019. The new railway line project provides vital rail connectivity between two major rail routes and reduces distance by 72 kms for the trains coming from Guntakal Division to Krishnapatnam. The new line helps to decongest the section and provides seamless movement of freight trains towards Rayalaseema, North Karnataka and West Coast region.