There is a viable solution to end the perennial problem of detention of trains, due to cross movement of trains entering and leaving Visakhapatnam Railway Station.
Proper utilisation of the existing lines, construction of additional platforms and early completion of the third line to Gopalapatnam is the solution. It can be completed in less than a year and at one-fourth of the estimated cost of ₹400 crore, proposed for the ‘bulb line’, says a railway source, well-versed with technicalities.
There are two lines going from the railway station to the departure yard, besides a partial third line, from Visakhapatnam Railway Station.
One line is used for movement of empty rakes to the Coaching Complex and the second line was proposed to be used for locomotive movement but it was not fully connected to the departure yard, as a small stretch of a few metres below the Kancharapalem flyover was left incomplete.
A third line was partially constructed for shunting purpose but was not in use and rails were removed, according to railway sources. These three lines are connected to the Route Relay cabin of Visakhapatnam in the signal system.
Connecting all the three lines to the departure yard and bringing them into service will facilitate running of coaching trains along with freight trains thereby ending the problem of detention of trains between Duvvada and Visakhapatnam, says the railway source.
It may be recalled that this newspaper in its report: ‘A way out to bunching of trains at outer’ ( The Hindu 18/02/2016) had underlined the need to bring these lines to use for operating coaching trains towards Vijayawada.
When the suggestion was brought to his notice Divisional Railway Manager Mukul Saran Mathur, did not rule out the possibility but opined that the solution may not be that simple as overhead traction work had to be done and linking the lines in the RRI was necessary.
