Sometimes I travel to those places and see for myself as to what's happening.
I have travelled over many years to many places but never had camera to photograph and document that. I too didn't mind, since not many shared that interest or enthusiasm.
Only last year I joined IRI and I started taking pics of new railway lines and sharing here.
One such line was the Motamarri–Vishnupuram New Line -
/blog/post/2307235.
That time I went to Jaggayapet Town and saw that the new line was not only built but was electrified too. Like any new line I visit, only little info can be gathered from locals or even from the personnel there. They just know the info pertaining to them and have no idea or interest to know further. I was told last time that Mellacheruvu station is already built, but Jaggayapet Station will be built later.
Happy about the progress and info, I continued my trip to see one of the biggest bridges of India, across River Godavari which had been completed only in recent years and didn’t go to Mellacheruvu.
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This weekend I made up my mind to go and see any one of the new stations of this line. I wanted to go and see Janpahad station which is the first station of the new line from Vishnupuram side.
Whenever I visit a new station usually it will be outside the town or village due to the problem of land acquisition. (Unlike the British times, where railway stations were built in the center of that place or rather many towns grew around the stations.) Every time I used to get village buses or take share autos to some nearby place and then walk to the new station.
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But here I had no luck at all. I did manage to get village buses from Narsaraopet onwards to Piduguralla and then to Dachepalli then to Damarcherla. But the final leg from Damarcherla to Janpahad I couldn’t make as there were no village buses to the interior nor share autos. Only individual autos were willing to ply but for a hefty sum. Not willing to pay so much, I started to walk towards the place. I walked some 2 kms but got tired due to travel exhaustion and still the place where the station was, was some 10 Kms away. So, dejected I just returned back to the highway and sat by the side resolving to be on my way with whatever info I has gathered till then. I had learnt that the entire line is completed and goods trains did ply to the numerous cement industries along the line. Some villagers also added that a small building is what constitutes Janpahad station. They had been asking for starting of passenger services but till now no response on that, they lamented.
I myself saw the railway overbridge (Vishnupuram-Janpahad section) over the Addanki-Hyderabad highway while travelling to Damarcherla. I couldn’t take a pic since the bus went past it, fast.
I also did see the bridge (Guntur-Hyderabad line) over River Krishna, there were no sign of electrification in progress.
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When I regained some strength, I felt – having come so far, why not try Mellacheruvu and see if any PF or station has been built. Then I waited interminably for a bus to Miryalaguda. Then the same story of village bus – share auto continued till I reached the town of Mellacheruvu. Here not many knew of the station, they knew that a line was there and goods plied to the cement factories but no idea about station. Then one driver agreed to take to me to, what he called ‘railway office’ for a hefty sum. With no other choice, I agreed and went to this place. A very disappointing picture presented itself to me….. No station. No PF. Nothing……. Just a lonely building for Goods trains operation. Totally dejected, I just clicked a few pics of the line.
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The line was electrified like Jaggayapet. Branching off to cement factories. But nothing in terms of facilities for passenger trains. I learnt that the line was electrified till Janpahad (meaning just 10 Kms of the entire line was left for electrification), but no PF or stations anywhere. They may build one in future, next year or maybe later …. No idea….. When I returned, I spoke to few of the townspeople, they too gave the same story of asking for passenger trains, but no response or concrete date……. Some have no hope at all, that the line may never open for passenger trains. I too left with the same feeling of no hope. Maybe this line is just another "freights-only" line, like many near Hosapete region in Karnataka are. Even one or two passengers like say the YA-NDL line, which again is freight land, would be good. That line’s DEMU plies but horribly late, but still, it is a service for the people. Then there is the NZB-KRMR line which again has a DEMU or two and a LTT train to be extended which again is for freights mainly (and getting electrified too for that purpose).
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Significance of the line:
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1. The line is an alternate route between Vijayawada and Hyderabad. The current routes – BZA-WL-SC is 350 Kms. BZA-GNT-SC is 313 Kms. This (BZA-MTMI-VNUP-SC with LRs) as per my calculation comes to 318 Kms.
2. This line connects Guntur-Hyderabad line to Vijayawada-Kazipet line, this is significant in that, it offers an alternate to trains going from South to North or East. Like this year when there was RRI work at BZA, then all trains used the RU-GY/GTL route to Hyderabad and then to North. Now they can use GNT-VNUP-MTMI-KZJ which is shorter. Some trains to East had to go to Hyderabad then WL and then use the BZA bypass to go towards VSKP. Now this offers an alternative. Both the above mentioned are longer alternatives but alternatives nevertheless to bypass BZA station.
3. This new line coupled with Nadikudi–Srikalahasti new line forms an alternate line to Gudur-Vijayawada section to reach Kazipet from South. Not a shorter alternate but will surely help in relieving congestion of the saturated line, at least for freights.
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