A roundtable on ‘Vijayawada city development – railway' organised by the Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry has underscored the need for public representatives' initiative and involvement in prevailing upon the Railways to improve Vijayawada railway station.
Delinking Vijayawada from Secunderabad General Manager jurisdiction, a separate zone should be carved out for Vijayawada- Guntur-Visakhapatnam, they felt.
Addressing the meeting on Tuesday, the speakers stressed the need for constructing satellite stations to ease the traffic at Vijayawada railway station.
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A few trains could be diverted or stopped at the satellite stations so that the platforms available here could be optimally used. Trains such as Duranto and Garibrath stop here for more than 20 minutes. But, the passengers cannot alight or board here.
Such trains could be diverted from satellite stations, they said. People here hardly benefit though 145 trains pass through the station every day.
The quota for Vijayawada is very less, or none at all.
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Except intercity trains, the timings of every train suit none. So, there is a necessity to press more trains originating from Vijayawada to important cities such as Bangalore.
Meeting
Expressing the view that MPs were not taking necessary initiatives in developing the Vijayawada railway station, which is a major junction in the State, they pointed that the proposals such as trains to Raichur, Shonnur, Yeshwanthpur, fast passenger to Secunderabad remained on paper.
ACCI president M. Muralikrishna said a meeting with SCR General Manager and the Railway Minister was being planned at Amma Kalayana Mandapam here shortly. The meeting would bring the issues pending with the railway department to their notice and highlight the necessity to develop the Vijayawada railway station, he said.
Vijayawada Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Gaddam Subba Rao, Andhra Motor Merchants' Association secretary Subba Rao, Divisional Railway Users' Consultative Committee member S. Subba Rao, AP Lorry Owners' Association president Y.V. Eswar Rao, Lorry Owners' Association secretary K. Rama Rao, Taxation Bar Association president Pulla Rao, and Builders' Association secretary Siva Reddy spoke.