A proposal to conduct a survey to examine the feasibility of laying a railway line to Amaravati is being considered by the Railways, SCR General Manager Ravindra Gupta has said.
The survey, if sanctioned, would be taken up in the financial year 2016-2017 itself, Mr. Gupta told reporters on Friday after inspecting the facilities at the railway station here.
“We are considering a survey to examine the feasibility of laying a direct rail line to Amaravati from major cities. The survey will also include a suitable place to build a railway station,” Mr. Ravindra Gupta said.
This apart, the feasibility of developing the New Guntur and Mangalagiri railway stations and linking them to Amaravati was also being studied, he said. Among other things, the SCR would be augmenting facilities for the Krishna Pushkarams at railway stations, including setting up CCTV cameras, foot overbridges, at a cost of Rs. 40 crore. The SCR would be operating 500 special trains and 2,000 coaches for the pushkarams.
Railway stations at Vijayawada, Krishna Canal Junction, Ramavarappadu, Madhura Nagar, and Vishnupuram would be spruced up for the mega event.
A proposal to run an A/C double-decker train between Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Tirupati was also being studied, he said.
Passenger-friendly
The Guntur Railway Station would also be developed with passenger-friendly amenities, including a deluxe lounge, food plaza, and an air-conditioned dormitory.
The west side entrance at Arundelpet would also be developed with a new platform, and a foot overbridge would connect the Arundelpet entrance to platform No. 1, he said. Divisional Railway Manager, Guntur, Anurag Sharma, was among senior railway officials present.
Double-decker proposal between Vizag, Vijayawada, and Tirupati under consideration
