The alignment of the semi-high speed train corridor between Shamshabad and Visakhapatnam (Duvvada) has been finalized to significantly reduce train travel time between two major cities of Telugu states. This route is proposed via Suryapet, Vijayawada in AP.
As part of this, another corridor will be constructed from Visakhapatnam to Kurnool via Vijayawada and Suryapet. It starts from Visakhapatnam in AP and reaches Kurnool via Suryapet, Nalgonda, Kalwakurthy and Nagarkurnool. The preliminary engineering and traffic (PET) survey of these has reached the final stage.
The survey report will be submitted to the Railway Board in November. It is noteworthy that this will be the first semi-high speed corridor in the Telugu states. Another feature is the planning to connect Shamshabad and Rajamahendravaram airports on this route. The Ministry of Railways has made a plan to enable air passengers to reach their hometowns quickly in semi-high speed trains.
The semi-high speed corridor is being designed so that trains can travel at a speed of 220 km per hour. If this project is completed, it will be possible to reach Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad (Shamshabad) airport within 4 hours. Currently, the train journey between these two cities takes 12 hours. Vande Bharat train is arriving at 8.30 hrs.
There are currently two train routes running between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam. The first is the Warangal, Khammam, Vijayawada route and the second is the Nalgonda, Guntur, Vijayawada route. The maximum speed of trains on these routes is only 110-130 km per hour. Compared to these two, the newly coming Shamshabad-Visakhapatnam route will be closer.
On almost doubling the speed, the travel time is cut in half significantly. Another key feature will be the connecting route from Visakhapatnam to Kurnool is proposed via Suryapet. A total of 8 railway stations have been proposed on this route.
If you look at the Shamshabad-Visakha semi-high speed corridor, it looks a bit similar to the Hyderabad-Vijayawada 65 National Highway route. It is also possible that many towns and districts in Telangana, which have not heard the sound of trains so far, will join the railway network with the new corridor.
Towns like Narkatpally, Nakrekal, Suryapet and Kodad in the combined Nalgonda district still have no rail link. The towns of Kalwakurti, Vanaparthi and Nagarkurnool in the combined Mahabubnagar district also have no railway line.
There is no railway line anywhere in the entire district of Nagarkurnool. Plans are being prepared for the construction of a semi-high speed corridor through such areas where trains will run at a speed of 220 kilometers per hour.