he South Central Railway (SCR) is proposing to build a new ‘mega’ passenger terminal at Cherlapally on the capital outskirts on an area of 250 acres and estimated to cost about Rs.100 crore.
“We are planning to have a decent facility with six to seven platforms to be constructed in phases. We are looking at the available land with us and other options too. We will also be meeting Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao and Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma on the project,” said General Manager Ravindra Gupta.
Mr. Gupta, who took over as GM a few days ago, told presspersons on Tuesday that due to the running of MMTS trains, the Secunderabad station is unable to bring some of the passenger trains on the designated platforms, forcing the authorities to halt some of them on the outskirts, especially during the peak morning and evening hours.
Since the city is expanding, the railways too need to have a plan for the next 40 to 50 years and land availability should be looked at seriously, he pointed out. SCR had earlier also sought land for constructing a new terminal at Vattinagulapally.
Apart from taking up a few loop works, the completion of the MMTS phase two project will also help in decongesting the Secunderabad station. Stating that it was an “important project” not only for the city but also the Telangana, he said works are progressing through the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL), and he would be soon holding discussions with them.
Work on the Sanathnagar-Moula Ali section, however, has been affected due to a ‘land dispute’ with the defence department. “We will be monitoring the project very closely for a time bound progress,” he affirmed.
Delux waiting hall
A new deluxe waiting hall of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is slated to be opened on platform 10 of the Secunderabad station while waiting rooms will also be augmented on the platform one of the station, Mr. Gupta announced.
Since the city is expanding, the railways too need to have a plan for the next 40 to 50 years
Ravindra Gupta
SCR General Manager
