Gooty-Dharmavaram rail line doubling nearing completion

Amaravati: The Gooty-Dharmavaram railway line doubling project has inched a step closer towards completion as the South Central Railway finished and commissioned an 18.8-km section between Taticherla and Zangalapalle in Anantapuramu district in Andhra Pradesh.

With this, only a 11-km stretch between Chigicherla and Dharmavaram remains to be completed of the total project length of 90 kms, according to the South Central Railway.

The balance works were also progressing at a brisk pace and would be completed soon, it said. Simultaneously, electrification of the entire section was also being completed, SCR Chief Public Relations Officer Ch Rakesh said in a release.

 The Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) is executing the Rs 636.38 crore project with 100% funding from the Indian Railways.

Out of the entire 90-km project, doubling and electrification in the 11-km section between Kalluru and Garladinne was completed in September 2019, 11-km Chigicherla and Zangalapalle in June 2020, 10-km Garladinne and Taticherla section in November 2020 and 28-km Kalluru and Gooty section in October 2021.

Now, with the completion of 19-km doubling-withelectrification between Taticherla and Zangalapalle, operation of train services in a double line section for a continuous stretch of 79 kms has been facilitated.

The Gooty-Dharmavaram doubling and electrification project is a vital link connecting Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

“Once the project is complete, it will ease congestion on this important saturated single-line section and enable running of more number of passenger and freight trains towards Bengaluru,” Rakesh said. The double-line works between Dharmavaram and Bengaluru under the South Western Railway jurisdiction were also progressing simultaneously, with some of the sections already complete.

SCR General Manager (in charge) Arun Kumar Jain said on the occasion that doubling of this important section would enhance operational efficiency while also providing scope for operating more number of trains.