South Coast Railway Zone In Visakhapatnam To Be Notified June 1

Visakhapatnam: Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the South Coast Railway Zone, headquartered here, will be officially notified on June 1.The minister described this as a fulfilment of one of the most important promises made during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The new zone, he said, would strengthen railway administration, improve operational efficiency and enhance infrastructure development across the state. Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, Vashnaw highlighted the scale of railway investments and projects currently under way in Andhra Pradesh, underscoring the Centre’s commitment to the state’s growth. He said the NDA government has allocated `10,134 crore exclusively to Andhra Pradesh in the railway budget, a sharp increase compared to the `886 crore received by undivided Andhra Pradesh a year before 2014. Railway projects worth `1.06 lakh crore, he said, are presently under execution, connecting Andhra Pradesh with major economic corridors and strengthening logistics infrastructure. The 74 railway stations in the state are being modernised under the Amrit Bharat and Nava Nirman initiatives, marking the first such large-scale modernisation effort in the country. Additionally, 832 flyovers and underpasses have been completed, while 1,039km of new railway lines were under construction. Andhra Pradesh, he said, has achieved 100 per cent railway electrification. The Union minister said Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a key railway hub, with 16 Vande Bharat services and 22 Amrit Bharat services already operating in the state. “Great care has been taken in the design and manufacturing standards of these new-generation trains, ensuring safety, speed and passenger comfort.” Vaishnaw also announced that high-speed rail connectivity for AP was progressing rapidly and would soon become a reality. The proposed Amaravati-to-Hyderabad bullet train corridor would reduce travel time to just 70 minutes, while the Amaravati-to-Chennai corridor would cut travel time to 112 minutes. He spoke of plans to upgrade the existing double railway lines along the East Coast corridor from Kolkata to Chennai to a four-line system, supporting container movement, freight trains and passenger connectivity by adding around 500 new train services. The Union minister said, “The central government is ensuring justice to the southern states in both development and welfare. While the Centre is focused on growth and infrastructure, the opposition parties are attempting to politicise every issue.” Andhra Pradesh, he said, will continue to receive full support from the central government for infrastructure, connectivity and economic growth.



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