The train was often crowded between Bellampalli and Jammikunta. With demand increasing, the service was extended up to Sirpur Kaghaznagar.
Karimnagar:The Singareni train, a well-known service in the Singareni coal belt, has completed 50 years. Besides Singareni employees, people from other sections also use the service.
A large number of workers from the erstwhile Karimnagar district and neighbouring districts took up jobs in coal mines after the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) began mining operations in Ramagundam, Bellampalli and Mandamarri areas in the 1960s.
With limited transportation facilities at the time, workers faced difficulties travelling to work. Though the main railway line connecting north and south India passed through the district, many stations did not have train halts.
For the convenience of workers, the railway department introduced a train service connecting the coal mine areas and named it the Singareni. The then chief minister Jalagam Vengal Rao flagged off the train on September 2, 1976.
Initially, the train operated between Bellampalli and Kothagudem (Bhadrachalam Road). It helped workers travel to the Singareni head office in Kothagudem for official work and access hospital facilities. Students studying at Singareni College in Kothagudem also used the service.
Dairy farmers also used the train to transport milk to areas where Singareni workers lived. Farmers from Uppal, Jammikunta, Odela, Kolanur and Kothapalli carried milk to Mancherial, Ravindrakhani, Mandamarri and Bellampalli for sale.
The train was often crowded between Bellampalli and Jammikunta. With demand increasing, the service was extended up to Sirpur Kaghaznagar.
Sharing his experiences with Deccan Chronicle, retired Singareni worker Pulluri Chandraiah said the Singareni train was the only option for them to travel from Ramagundam to Kolanur.
Chandraiah, who worked in the coal mines in Godavarikhani, used to reach Ramagundam railway station by bus. After getting down at Kolanur railway station, he would travel to his native Mirjampet by bullock cart.
Another retired employee, P. Rajamouli, said they had to walk five kilometres to reach Madipalli in Jammikunta mandal after getting down at Jammikunta railway station. Rajamouli worked at a Singareni school in Godavarikhani.
