VIJAYAWADA: South Central Railway (SCR) has commissioned a longer loop line at Navabpalem station in Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam section. This is the second such line built in the zone, the first one being at Bikkavolu station. The new facility will help the SCR to enhance train operations, ease congestion and accommodate long-haul goods trains with additional wagons.
In a press release issued here on Monday, SCR official spokesperson Ch Rakesh said the loop lines are constructed at stations to handle more trains and to ease out train operations. Normally, the loop lines are built with a length of 750 metre that can accommodate a full-length goods train with multiple engines. With the increasing need to transport huge quantities at a go, handling longer trains with more number of wagons is a necessity. To mitigate this problem, Indian Railways has been encouraging the construction of longer loop lines of around 1,500 metres (double the length of existing loop line).
Earlier, the Ministry of Railways accorded sanction for construction of longer loops at six stations in Vijayawada Division viz Bikkavolu, Navabpalem & Elamanchili in Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam section and Nidubrolu, Ammanabrolu and Bitragunta in Vijayawada-Chennai section.