Status Operational Operator(s) South Central Railway Track length 218 km (135 mi) Owner Indian Railways | Opened 1889 Depot(s) Kazipet, Vijayawada Number of tracks 2 | |
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Rolling stocks Indian locomotive class WDM-2 Terminis Vijayawada Junction railway station, Kazipet Junction railway station | ||
The Kazipet–Vijayawada section is a railway line connecting Kazipet and Vijayawada. This 218 km (135 mi) track is part of the Delhi-Chennai line. The section is under the jurisdiction of South Central Railway.
Contents
History
With the completion of the Kazipet-Balhashah link in 1929, Chennai was directly linked to Delhi.
The Wadi-Secunderabad line was built in 1874 with financing by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It later became part of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway. In 1889, the main line of the Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway was extended to Vijayawada, then known as Bezwada.
As of 1909, "From Wadi on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway runs east to Warangal and then south-east towards Bezwada on the East Coast section of the Madras Railway."
The Motumari-Jaggayyapeta line was extended to Mellacheruvu in 2012. It is to be extended further to Vishnupuram on the Guntur-Pagidipalli-Secunderabad line.
Electrification
The Vijayawada-Madhira sector was electrified in 1985-86, the Madhira-Dornakal sector in 1986-87 and the Dornakal-Kazipet sector in 1987-88. The Motumari-Jaggayapet freight line was electrified in 1994-95.
Dornakal-Karepalli-Yellandu line was electrified in 2003 and the Karepalli-Bhadrachalam Road-Manuguru in 2008.
Speed limits
The Delhi-Chennai Central line (Grand Trunk route) is classified as a "Group A" line which can take speeds up to 160 km/h.
Passenger movement
Vijayawada is the only station on this line which is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.
Loco sheds and coaching maintenance depots
Kazipet diesel loco shed houses WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDG-3A and WDG-4 locos. Opened in 2006, Kazipet electric loco shed houses 150+ WAG-7 locos. Vijayawada diesel loco shed has WDM-2, WDP-1 locos, 30+ DEMus and 2 Railbus. Vijayawada electric loco shed opened in 1980, holds (as of 2012) 195+ locos. It houses WAG-5, WAM-4 and WAG-7 locos.
There are coaching maintenance depots at Vijayawada and Kazipet.