Vijayawada: Union tourism minister G. Kishan Reddy on Friday flagged off the runs of three train services that have been extended to more cities. The event was held at the Guntur railway station.
These are the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Uday Express that will henceforth run up to Guntur, the Vijayawada-Hubballi Amravati Express up to Narsapur, and the Nandyal-Kadapa Express Special up to Renigunta. These trains have AC & non-AC coaches
Kishan Reddy said the extension of Uday Express provided direct connectivity between Guntur and Visakhapatnam.
The Narsapur – Hubballi Express will provide additional travel facility from coastal Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka region. The Nandyal – Renigunta special train will help pilgrims to reach Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirumala.
The train has been provided stoppages at all stations in the Rayalaseema region, the minister stated.
Kishan Reddy said that in the last few years, the railway network has been increasing at a fast pace. The Railways has established dedicated freight corridors and is working towards achieving 100 per cent electrification, he said.
“The electrification works in AP are almost complete. Further, 32 railway line projects with a total of around 5,074 track km are under progress in AP.”
M. Ramakrishnan, divisional railway manager, Guntur, and other railway officials graced the occasion.
Simultaneously, functions were held at Renigunta and Narsapur railway stations to witness the flagging-off programme in the presence of divisional railway officials.
Kishan Reddy told the media that PM Modi performed Bhoomi Puja to develop 508 railway stations in a single day as part of the Amrit scheme. Projects are implemented with thousands of crores. The Centre will spend Rs 25,000 crore more for these works.
The Union minister said the railways have developed very fast under the leadership of Narendra Modi. “Today, we have a network on par with that of Switzerland. In 2004, the Railway Budget was increased from Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 29,000 crore. But, the Railway Budget under the Modi-led BJP dispensation at the Centre has swollen to Rs 2.8 lakh crore.
“The railway network is increasing by 16km per day. A sum of Rs 38,650 crore has been spent on electrification of railway lines. Some 1309 railway stations are being transformed into modern stations under the Amrit Bharat scheme.”
He said the railways are the main means of transport. Some 800 crore people travel by these trains every year. “We have 1200 passenger trains. Under the leadership of Modi, 85,434 km of railway network has been newly established. This is equivalent to the entire railway network of Germany.”
