HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday urged the Centre to form a new railway division in Telangana with Kazipet as its headquarters.
In a letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the BRS leader highlighted that the ongoing restructuring within the South Central Railway and operationalisation of the South Coast Railway has placed an excessive operational burden on the Secunderabad Division. As per the latest restructuring data, the Secunderabad Division currently spans 2,755 track kilometres, which is expected to expand to approximately 3,150 track kilometres with the addition of the Wadi-Raichur and Vishnupuram-Bibinagar double line sections. This significantly exceeds the optimal administrative range observed across Indian Railways divisions, Rama Rao said.
“Divisions such as Vijayawada and Guntakal operate around 2,200 track kilometres, while Guntur Division remains under 900 kilometres. This stark imbalance makes Secunderabad Division an outlier in terms of size, complexity, and traffic density,” he said.
The former minister said that the creation of a Kazipet Division is both logical and necessary. “The proposed division would include key railway sections such as Kazipet-Balharshah, Peddapalli-Nizamabad, Kazipet-Yerrupalem, Dornakal-Manuguru & Sathupalli, Motumari-Vishnupuram, and Kazipet-Wangapalli. These sections together form a coherent and high-density railway network of approximately 1,500-2,000 track kilometres, aligning well with established divisional norms,” he said.
Rama Rao urged the Union minister to transfer the Peddapalli-Nizamabad section from the Hyderabad Division to the proposed Kazipet Division, considering its geographical and operational continuity. Similarly, the proposal to shift the Latur Road-Parli Vaijnath section to Nanded Division should be revisited to ensure operational efficiency.
Rama Rao noted Kazipet is situated at the intersection of major trunk routes and has witnessed significant infrastructure augmentation. This includes the completion of triple lines towards Balharshah and Vijayawada, as well as the sanctioned quadruple line between Secunderabad and Kazipet, transforming the region into a high-capacity rail corridor.
The BRS leader felt that the formation of a Kazipet Division would decentralise operations, improve efficiency and enable more responsive management.
Establishing a divisional headquarters at Kazipet would catalyse economic activity, improve railway service delivery in north and east Telangana, and contribute to balanced regional growth, Rama Rao said.
The BRS MPs met the Union minister in Delhi and handed over Rama Rao’s letter to him.