Nod for third line between Vizianagaram and Titlagarh.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the meeting in New Delhi recently has given its approval for taking up Vizianagaram and Titlagarh 3{+r}{+d}line project at an estimated cost of Rs.2,335.68 crore. The 264.6 km railway line is expected to be completed in five years, according to an official release. The line would improve the access of Central India to East Coast. Vizianagaram and Titlagarh is a double line non electrified section of Jharsuguda- Vizianagaram line. The 3{+r}{+d}line is an alternative to over-burdened existing line, which is running at capacity utilisation of over 106 per cent. The high traffic on the line is resulting in huge detention of rolling stock, affecting movement of cargo. On an average, 47 trains pass each way on this route, including 27 pairs of passenger trains and 20 pairs of goods trains.

Already the doubling and electrification of the Vizianagaram-Titlagarh section is on and is expected to be completed by end of 2018. The third line would improve the capacity of the route, Deputy Chairman Visakhapatnam Port Trust P.L. Haranadh said welcoming the decision. It will also give a great boost to coastal shipping. Once the line gets operation it will provide a fast route for transporting coal from Chhattisgarh and other Central Indian coal fields to power plants in Tamil Nadu, he added.The route rationalisation, under which all cargo from Visakhapatnam heading toward Nagpur and beyond are forced to move it through Vijayawada-Ballarshah instead of Vizianagaram-Titlagarh, is likely to be changed. For example under the policy goods have to travel 1,200 km via Nagpur to Raipur, while it is 550 km via Vizianagaram-Titlagarh-Raipur.

THE HINDU