Association urges extension of Vizag-Mahabubnagar, Tungabhadra Expresses

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Train Travellers Association welcomed proposed expansion of Malkajgiri Railway Station. File | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G

The Train Travellers Association has welcomed the proposal to introduce a new train service between Kurnool and Machilipatnam and urged railway authorities to name it either the “Fort City Express” or the “Maha Nandi Express”, reflecting the historical and cultural identity of the Kurnool-Rayalaseema region.

Marking the 60th anniversary of South Central Railway (SCR), the association also appealed for the extension of the Tungabhadra Express either up to Medchal on the northern side or Dhone on the southern side, subject to operational feasibility.

The association further suggested extending the Visakhapatnam-Mahabubnagar Express to Kurnool or Guntakal. Such an extension, it said, would provide a direct rail link between Rayalaseema and key destinations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The association’s secretary Noor Ahmed Ali also highlighted the long-pending proposal for a new railway line connecting Kurnool with Mantralayam and Adoni. He said the project would not only improve passenger connectivity but also facilitate the transport of agricultural produce and other goods to major markets and metropolitan cities.

It requested the diversion of some trains from Secunderabad station through the Sitaphalmandi-Malkajgiri-Moula Ali chord line. The association suggested that several south-bound services, including the Bengaluru, Venkatadri, Yesvantpur, Egmore-Madurai and Tungabhadra Expresses, could originate from or terminate at Kacheguda station.

Welcoming the proposed expansion of Malkajgiri Railway Station, the association said trains heading towards Kurnool, Bengaluru and Chennai-Egmore, along with services bound for Nizamabad, Purna and Manmad, could be operated from Kacheguda. This, it argued, would allow passengers from the Secunderabad region easier access to trains without having to travel to Kacheguda for boarding.

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