Travel by 17487 Tirupati – Visakhapatnam Tirumala Express from Tirupati to Visakhapatnam has turned out to be strenuous.
“The train left at its scheduled time from Tirupati at 8.30 p.m. on Oct 12 and reached Rajahmahendravaram the following day at 6 a.m.. From there it took six hours to arrive in Visakhapatnam Junction, a distance of 201 km,” says CPI(M) State secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao, who travelled by that train.
“It is ridiculous that an express train has been officially given five-and-a-half hours time to cover 200 km, while many express trains take less than six hours to reach Vijayawada, a distance of 350 km.”
“Further, the arrival time of 11.30 a.m. is also inconvenient to office-goers, who plan to attend duty the same day as half the day is wasted. The arrival time should be between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.,” he says.
“The Double Decker Express from Visakhapatnam to Tirupati is another pain in the neck as this train AC train leaves Vizag at 10.25 p.m. and reaches Tirupati at 11.35 a.m,” the CPI(M) State leader says
Passengers have to sit through the 13 hours journey and they cannot even relax as the seats cannot be pushed-back as the reclining seats in semi-sleeper buses,” says Mr. Narasinga Rao.
Whereas the 17488 Visakhapatnam – Tirupati Tirumala Express, which leaves 2 p.m. at Vizag and reaches Tirupati at 5.20 a.m. the following day is very convenient for devotees visiting Tirumala as also others going
on short trips to Tirupati, the CPI(M) State leader says.
B. Madhu Gopal
