To ease the rail traffic congestion in the South Coast Railway Zone, the Railway Board has sanctioned Rs. 106 crore for the third line. The proposed third line will connect the Vizag city railway station to the Gopalapatnam Diamond Crossing.
The Visakhapatnam – Gopalapatnam railway line had been on the cards for years now. This 8 km railway line connecting the city was proposed in 2017-2018. And during the same year’s budget session, funds were sanctioned for the survey. In 2020, a similar proposal was made by the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC). It proposed that as many as 25 sets of regular and special trains would bypass Visakhapatnam railway station. An estimated cost, assessed by the DIvisional and Zonal office, was also given.
Paying heed to the ZRUCC’s request, the proposal, which was once considered for the study by the Railway Board, had been taken up again by the Railway Board committee members. Surveying the entire railway route, an amount of Rs. 106 crore has been sanctioned.
With this sanction, the Vizag – Gopalapatnam third railway line will be a reliever for passengers travelling to Duvvada, Simhachalam, etc., as they will be able to depart faster now. There is also the possibility and scope that the railways may increase the speed within these distances or introduce more trains on this route.
The third railway line is proposed to be constructed with state of the art technology and facilities. This 8 km stretch would be constructed with an automatic signalling system. The entire line is also proposed to be electrified.
It could be noted that already the Duvvada – Gopalapatnam railway route has introduced an automatic signalling system between Simhachalam – Gopalapatnam – Visakhapatnam. And for about 2.1 km from the Simhachalam – Gopalapatnam bypass, linework is in progress.
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