Germany to study feasibility of speeding up Kazipet-Chennai trains

HYDERABAD: A joint declaration of intent was signed between the ministry of railways and Germany at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday to carry out a feasibility study by German Railways on the Chennai-Kazipet corridor for increasing the speed of passenger trains to 200 kmph. The cost of the feasibility study will be shared 50.50 by the ministry of railways and the government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The terms and conditions for carrying out the study shall be finalised by way of a separate agreement. The 643-km-long Chennai-Kazipet corridor passes through Gudur, Nellore, Tenali, Vijayawada and Warangal. The maximum sectional speed on the corridor is 110 kmph in Southern Railway zone and 120 kmph in South Central Railway. There are 108 stations, 216 level crossings (all manned) and 1,979 bridges on this corridor. There is only one direct train from Kazipet to Chennai (Train 12760/Charminar Superfast Express) that takes 11 hours and 20 minutes with 13 stoppages at an average speed of 57 kmph.

SCR signs energy saving agreement
The South Central Railway has earned yet another distinction of being the first zone in the Indian Railways, where all the six divisions of the zone, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntakal, Guntur and Nanded divisions have signed energy performance agreements with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). The agreement was signed on Tuesday at Rail Nilayam,Secunderabad. The agreement is to implement energy efficiency projects at 22 selected A1 and A class stations in the zone.