VIJAYAWADA: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, approved Rajahmundry (Nidadavolu) - Visakhapatnam (Duvvada) 3rd and 4th rail lines at an estimated cost of Rs 9,889 crore.
While the route length is 198 km, the track length will be 458 km. The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multitracking projects are poised to streamline operations and ease congestion.
Rajahmundry (Nidadavolu) - Visakhapatnam (Duvvada) section forms part of the Howrah - Chennai High Density Network (HDN). The proposed project is part of quadrupling initiative of Howrah - Chennai HDN. The project traverses through East Godavari, Konaseema, Kakinada, Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam is identified as an aspirational district in the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP).
It provides better rail connectivity to major ports along the East Coast such as Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Machilipatnam and Kakinada. The project route runs along the eastern coastline and is among the busiest, predominantly freight-oriented sections of the East Coast Rail Corridor. The line capacity utilisation of the section has already reached up to 130%, leading to frequent congestion and operational delays.
The line capacity is expected to increase further due to proposed expansion of ports and industries in the region. The project section includes 4.3 km rail bridge over Godavari river, 2.67 km viaduct, 3 bypasses and the new alignment is around 8 km shorter than the existing route, improving connectivity and operational efficiency.
CM: New rail lines will enhance connectivity
An additional freight traffic of 29.04 MTPA consisting of coal, cement, chemical manures, iron and steel, foodgrains, containers, bauxite, gypsum, limestone, etc is expected. The project benefits include improved connectivity for Visakhapatnam.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu thanked the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for approving the Rajahmundry (Nidadavolu) - Visakhapatnam (Duvvada) 3rd and 4th rail line project. This transformative project, including a 4.3 km rail bridge over the Godavari river, will significantly ease traffic congestion and improve travel time, Naidu said.
“It will enhance connectivity for our people across the region, benefit passengers, and boost freight movement. It will also provide better access for devotees to key spiritual destinations such as Annavaram, Antarvedi and Draksharamam, while supporting industrial growth and port-led development. Another step towards Swarna Andhra and Viksit Bharat,” The Chief Minister posted on ‘X’
Rail Project
Estimated cost - Rs 9,889 crore
Employment generation - 135 lakh human-days
CO2 emissions saved - 51.49 crore kg CO2 equivalent to 2.06 cr trees
Logistic cost saving - Rs 1,150.56 crore every year vis-a vis road transportation