Vijayawada: Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday said that two high-speed trains that will pass through or originate from AP. These trains will be from Kolkata-Chennai and Amaravati-Bengaluru. Besides, railway connectivity would be provided to Amaravati city.
Speaking to the media after a 3.5-hour-long meeting with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at his camp office here on Saturday, Mr Prabhu said that joint projects involving the AP government and the railway ministry would be finalised in one month and would be cleared priority-wise.
Mr Prabhu said that railway officials would interact with Mr Naidu frequently and review the progress of the joint projects.
“AP is a logistics hub and it would soon become a centre for exports and imports,” he said. Mr Prabhu said that nearly Rs 50 crore has been allotted for extension of platforms in view of forthcoming Krishna pushkaralu. Reacting to a question, he said that the railway zone for AP is under consideration.
“I will ensure that my ministry extends all possible support to the state. Our focus is that the new railway lines are in line with the linking of ports and airports,” he said.
Mr Naidu said that the railway minister has positively responded to the request for new trains and rail connectivity to Amaravati. He said that railway zone was mentioned in the AP Reorganisation Act and it should be implemented immediately.
The CM said that nearly 2.67 lakh devotees would visit Vijayawada for Krishna pushkaralu and the number can rise to five lakh on auspicious days. The railway minister promised to provide special trains to cope with the rush.
