A Citizens’ Agenda for South Coast Rail Zone

As the dust settles on inauguration day and as those who run it see transforming from peoples’ dream to the show they have to run, what will be the new South Coast Rail Zone is going to do?

Whatever be the official stands, here is the agenda from a citizen to South Coast Rail Zone, a railway zone that was formed as a result of decades of protest by the citizens of Visakhapatnam city and region.

• First and foremost, please ask East Coast Rail Zone to change the name of Visakha Express to something else of their liking, so that we can use ‘our’ name “Vishaka Express” to another prestigious train that would start from and only VSKP, so that it serves the rail passengers of the very city it named after. It can run on totally different route and schedule in near future.
• Please give a circular to correctly spell Visakhapatnam!
• Give up proposal to construct a coaching depot at Jagannadhapurama and kindly propose to confirm it to freight lines and freight depots.
• Please initiate measures to expeditor Gopalapatnam to Visakhapatnam main station 3^rd and 4^th lines works.
• Please pursue with the government of AP to finish the land acquisition for Vande Bharat Depo proposed at Marripalem.
• Please take urgent measures to expand the capacity of Coaching Complex in visakhapatnam
• Please ensure to convert existing platform numbers 1 to 8 also into a terminus design and integrate with new platforms part. Convent junction railway bridge and further line shall be removed.
• Please send proposals for merger of a few sections of lines to South Coast Rail Zone jurisdiction, namely Kurnool Dhone, Dharmavaram Hindupur, Motumarri Jaggayyapeta, and if possible, Kothavalasa Araku sections.
• Taking inspiration from Tamilanadu, let us chalk out plans to develop one or 2 pit lines and 2 or 3 stabling lines in each of the corners of the state and a few hitherto undeveloped cities and augment the capacities of existing Depots, in a phased manner. For instance, Pitline requiremnt: Ichchapuram, Dharmavaram, Nellore: 3 Pathapatnam, Parvatipuram, Macherla, Chittoor: 2 Kakinada, Machilipatnam +2 Gannavaram, Tirupati West, Dupadu: New Depots.
• Please expedite process of Kovvuru Sathupalli, Kakinada Pithapuram, Kotipalli Narsapur, Dupadu Panyam, Machilipatnam Repalle Bapatla, Ongole Darsi, Darsi Donakonda, Pendlimarri Pulivendula Mudigubba KothaCheruvu (Puttaparthi) new lines.
• Kindly introduce new trains, in phases:

• Intercity Expresses on the following routes: Narsapur Rayagada, Kakinada Araku, Machilipatnam Visakhapatnam, Tirupati Kurnool, Nellore Rapuru Anantapur, Anantapur Vijayawada.
• Sitting Vandebharats on Visakhapatnam Tirupati, Vijayawada Brahmapur, Vijayawada Bengaluru.
• Overnight expresses with most halts from end to end of state: Ichchapuram Hindupur, Parvatipuram/ Vizianagaram Kuppam, Nellore Tirupati Kadiri Guntakal Kalyanadurgam..
• Visakhapatnam Tirupati Bengaluru Duronto.
• Overnight SF expresses with limited halts: Visakhapatnam Tirupati, Visakhapatnam Guntakal Puttaparthi, Visakhapatnam Shirdi tri-weekly via Peddapalli, Visakhapatnam Shirdi via Raipur Bi-weekly, Visakhapatnam Jabalpur tri-weekly.
• Bi-weekly Kakinada New Delhi via Visakhapatnam Raipur Katni Bina Jhansi,
• Bi-weekly Vijayawada ANVT via Visakhapatnam Katni Prayagraj,
• Visakhapatnam New Delhi Duronto via Katni, Anuppur, Jhansi,
• Rajdhani Express weekly:
  • From Tirupati via New Guntur Vijayawada Warangal
  • From Titupati via Kurnool, Kachiguda,
  • From Visakhapatnam via Vijayawada Ballarshah
• As part of tripling of Nidadavolu Visakhapatnam 3^rd and 4^th lines, please propose to reroute 3rd line via Godavari Arch Spans bridge which have provision for another line. 4^th and 5th lines from Kadium directly to Nidadavolu via river islands and Vijjeswaram.

Author: TVP Desk