Work is apace on the Krishnapatnam – Venkatachalam – Obulavaripalle railway line, considered the major freight carrier for the South Central Railway, linking the Rayalaseema region with sea head on the Nellore coast.
Freight movement from the ore-rich Rayalaseema towards Krishnapatnam and inward cargo from Krishnapatnam port towards the Mumbai coast require seamless movement of freight, which is hampered by the over saturated Vijayawada-Gudur main line.
It was in this backdrop that the project was conceived and sanctioned in 2005-06 to be executed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) — Krishnapatnam Railway Company Limited (KRCL) comprising Rail Vikas Nigam, Krishnapatnam Port, the Andhra Pradesh government, the Sagarmala Development Corporation, NMDC and Brahmani Steels.
Easing congestion
The new line, spread across Nellore and Kadapa districts, creates a bypass obviating the high-density traffic route Obulavaripalle – Renigunta – Gudur section, apart from linking two major rail routes and reducuing distance by 72 km for trains coming from the Guntakal division towards Krishnapatnam. Eighty-two km work has been completed on the new line— 60 km between Venkatachalam Road junction and Vellikallu and 22 km on Cherlopalli-Obulavaripalli section — including electrification. Tunnel work on a 7 km-stretch is on, which, nce completed, is expected to throw the line open to traffic.
The SCR management hopes to witness a significant jump in freight traffic on the route, which also exposes the hinterland to socio-economic growth.
Commuters can also expect a safe and economic mode of transport once passenger services start.