Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay with Labour Minister Vivek Venkataswamy and Peddapalli MP G. Vamsi Krishna flagging off the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express train.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS
Two more Vande Bharat Express trains will soon be introduced in Telangana in addition to the existing five Vande Bharat semi-high-speed trains being operated in the State as part of the Central government’s endeavour to expand the Vande Bharat services, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said.
Proposals for introducing the new Vande Bharat trains between Secunderabad-Pune and Hyderabad-Nanded are being readied by the Ministry of Railways, he added.
The Union Minister along with Minister for Labour, Mines and Geology Vivek Venkataswamy and Peddapalli MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna flagged off the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express train with additional stoppage at Mancherial railway station on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sanjay said the Mancherial railway station will be redeveloped with modern facilities under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) at an estimated cost of ₹26 crore. A foot overbridge (FOB) will be constructed at Mancherial railway station with a cost of ₹3.5 crore for the convenience of passengers.
He said that plans were afoot to spend about ₹80,000 crore to further enhance rail infrastructure and network in Telangana in the next 10 years.
The rail infrastructure in the country has undergone a major transformation in terms of connectivity and passenger amenities under Narendra Modi’s government, Mr. Sanjay said, adding that the Centre has spent more than ₹42,000 crore on railway projects to boost connectivity in Telangana.
He added that as many as 40 railway stations in Telangana are being upgraded and modernised at an estimated expenditure of around ₹2,751 crore under the ABSS.
Telangana has received a record allocation of ₹5,337 crore in this year’s Railway Budget, he noted.
Mr. Vivek Venkataswamy urged the Railway authorities to ensure a halt of the Kerala Express train at Mancherial railway station for the benefit of a large number of devotees of Mancherial district, who visit Sabarimala during the annual pilgrimage season every year.
R. Gopalakrishnan, Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad Division, South Central Railway (SCR) and others were present.
Published – September 15, 2025 07:06 pm IST
