Rail Projects in Andhra Pradesh will be expedited: SCR GM

Vijayawada, Jan 30 (INN): South Central Railway (SCR) General Manager Vinod Kumar Yadav visited Vijayawada Railway Station on Monday on an inspection, his first tour of Vijayawada after assuming charge as the head for the Zone. He was accompanied by Ashok Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager and other Officials of Vijayawada Division.

The General Manager undertook an extensive tour of Vijayawada Railway Station, covering the entire station premises. He checked the facilities available at the station including the platforms, escalators, apron, food stalls, waiting areas etc. He also inspected the Crew Booking Lobby at the station and made a check of the breath analyzer test system. During the course of the inspection, Vinod Kumar Yadav perused the layout of the station and sought details from the Divisional Railway Manager on the developmental plans of the station. Later in the day the General Manager also undertook inspection of Running Room used by loco pilots for their rest, so as to know on the facilities provided.

Interacting with the media personnel subsequent to the inspection of the station, the General Manager reiterated that Safety is top most priority on South Central Railway. Safety is foremost and there cannot be any limitation towards attaining it, the General Manager stressed and stated that punctuality of passenger / freight trains and speedy execution of infrastructure projects, staff welfare are also keenly monitored. Responding to a question, he informed that elimination of Unmanned Level Crossings and Manned Level Crossings is a continuous process which is dealt by constructing Road over Bridges/Road under Bridges and Limited Height Subways, so as to optimize safety.

On the status of ongoing railway projects in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Vinod Kumar Yadav stated that the projects will be expedited so as to meet the needs of the people at the earliest. Amongst the projects under progress in Andhra Pradesh are the Nadikude-Srikalahasti new rail line, Kotipalli-Narasapur new rail line, Kakinada-Pithapuram new rail line, Gudur-Dugarajapatnam new rail line, Kovvur-Bhadrachalam Road new rail line, construction of Macherla-Nalgonda new rail line etc.,

Earlier in the day, Vinod Kumar Yadav called on Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat at Velagapudi in Amaravati and briefed him on the rail developmental projects in the State. The Chief Minister advised General Manager to formulate plans to expedite completion of the projects. The General Manager also met Chief Secretary S.P. Tucker and Director General of Police N. Sambasiva Rao.

Later in the day, the General Manager held a performance review meeting involving the Divisional Railway Manager and other Branch Officers of Vijayawada Division. During the meeting, the General Manager emphasized that safety is paramount to efficient rail operations. He also advised the Divisional officials to ensure that the freight loading performance is increased sizeably, undertake continuous betterment of passenger amenities and also take care of the welfare of staff.