The Hindu Business Line : Kakinada-Kotipalli rail line to be revived

REVIVING a route that was closed during the World War, the South Central Railway (SCR) is all set to open the Kakinada-Kotipalli line in a couple of months.

Briefing newsmen at Kotipalli, 44.9 km away from Kakinada, Mr J.N. Jagannath, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM - Vijayawada), said the project was being taken up at a cost of Rs 66.80 crore.

He said 95 per cent of the work was completed. The route, which was conceived and opened by the British in 1928, was closed and the track was dismantled. The route, closed in 1940, is being taken up by the Railways following requests from the people in general and the agri-business community in particular.

Locals said the project was implemented thanks to the efforts of late G.M.C. Balayogi, the former Speaker of Lok Sabha.

The new route would connect stations, which included the commercial town of Ramachandrapuram.

Mr Jagannath, however, said that the route was just phase I. The next phase would connect Kotipalli with Narsapur, covering a stretch of 57 km. The latter phase would give the real boost to the area, as it provided the cheaper logistics with the main railway line.

The second phase, estimated to cost Rs 650-Rs 700 crore, would see laying of bridges over Gautami, Vynatheya and Vaishnavi, three of the tributaries of the River Godavari.

The SCR has also plans to connect the 21.5 km stretch between Pithapuram and Kakinada at a cost of Rs 61 crore.

"The two projects have got the sanction," he said, adding that allotments needed to be made.

The SCR has taken up the Rs 3-crore upgradation work of the Kakinada railway station to make it a model station.

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