The South Central Railway (SCR) is soon going to have the new generation ‘Vande Bharat’ trains and it will be running between Secunderabad and Vijayawada. This will be the only second such train down south after the recent launch of the service between Chennai and Mysuru by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This was announced by the Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy, also Secunderabad MP, at the railway station in the presence of senior officials, including General Manager Arun Kumar Jain and Divisional Railway Manager Abhay Kumar Gupta, on Monday.
“I have requested the Railway Board and the Railway Ministry to check technical feasibility to extend the service up to Tirupati, but for now, the Vande Bharat train has technical clearance to run up to Vijaywada,” he told a press conference, without indicating any timeline for the service to begin.
The Union Minister also stated that the ₹719.30 crore modernisation work for the Secunderabad station will be taken up in three phases and the final designs are under preparation, as also soil testing with works to begin within a few days.
“We have already awarded the tender. First phase works will be for 16 months, second phase works will be completed in 28 months and third phase in 36 months. Construction work will be happening even while the station will remain functional, therefore works are being taken up in three phases. Once completed, the new station can cater to the needs of the passengers for the next four decades,” he declared.
Mr. Reddy said the main station building will be 50 metres high and will be built using the latest architectural and engineering technology to provide amenities to every section, especially the physically-challenged. Built space will increase from 28,285 sq.mts to 1.65,556 sq.mts, granite stone will laid on all platforms, there will be segregation of incoming and outgoing traffic, plus ample parking facility for the private vehicles and TSRTC buses.
The new building will have 26 advanced lifts, 32 escalators, two travelators, flashing dashboards, CCTV cameras, wifi facilities and so on. “It will meet the expectations of the needs of the present day public. It is going to be among the best stations down south,” asserted the Minister.
Cherlapalli terminal
The fourth passenger terminal at Cherlapalli is also expected to ready for commissioning by Dec. 2023/Jan. 2024 and works are underway at the site. This is expected to help the passengers enroute to other districts and suburbs on reaching the twin cities from other places.
Earlier, Mr. Reddy was briefed about the modernisation plan by the railway officers.
BJP leaders Venkataramani (passenger amenities committee member), Prakash Reddy, former Mayor Banda Kartika Reddy, SCR’s chief administrative officer Neeraj Agarwal and others were present.
