Run more trains and longer ones from Visakhapatnam, DRUCC member tells South Coast Railway

Senior railway trade union leader and Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (DRUCC) member Chalasani Gandhi has urged the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone administration to expand passenger amenities and infrastructure across north Andhra.

In a representation submitted to the SCoR General Manager, Mr. Gandhi said that while the new zone’s headquarters in Visakhapatnam had come after decades of public struggle, the revenue generated from the region had often not matched the money spent on passenger amenities during the Waltair Division era.

Pointing to overcrowding during festivals and peak tourist seasons, the union leader called for the deployment of adequate special trains, increased train frequency and the running of trains with the maximum permissible 24 coaches on high-demand routes. He also sought dedicated overnight services connecting Visakhapatnam to cities such as Vijayawada, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The memorandum also sought better connectivity to pilgrimage centres including Ayodhya, Varanasi and Prayagraj, and more frequent services on the Visakhapatnam-Ichchapuram and Visakhapatnam-Rajamahendravaram sections. Mr. Gandhi said regular consultations with passenger associations, public representatives and Zonal and Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee members were essential to assess growing regional traffic and meet the needs of north Andhra commuters.