Hyderabad: Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, announced that a new train service from Secunderabad to Goa will benefit the people living in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.
On Sunday, the minister flagged off a bi-weekly train from Secunderabad to Goa and addressed the media. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwin Vaishnav for making this new train service possible.
Kishan Reddy pointed out that the train service has been introduced during the Navaratri festival. Previously, there was no direct train from Secunderabad to Goa, which made travel difficult, especially for tourists from the Telugu-speaking states. This new service will make travel much more convenient.
The train will run once a week from Secunderabad with ten coaches. It will stop at Guntakal, where it will join with another ten coaches coming from Tirupati. Together, they will continue the journey to Goa.
Additionally, four coaches from the Kachiguda-Yelahanka train, which runs four days a week, will also be connected to the Goa-bound train. These four coaches used to join another train, the Shalimar-Goa service, at Guntakal. Kishan Reddy mentioned that all trains between Secunderabad and Goa are currently running at full capacity, and many passengers are struggling to find seats.
To address this issue of overcrowding, Reddy requested the Railway Minister to find a solution. The new train service was introduced as a result of this request.
The journey from Secunderabad to Goa takes about 20 hours. The minister highlighted that the train would be beneficial not only for tourists but also for trade and cultural ties between the Telugu States, Karnataka, and Goa. The train will run on Wednesdays and Fridays from Secunderabad, while the return journey will be on Thursdays and Saturdays from Vasco da Gama.
In addition to the new train service, Reddy emphasized the development of the railway sector in Telangana over the past decade. Most of the railway electrification work in the state has been completed, along with new railway lines and the doubling and tripling of existing tracks.
Reddy also mentioned that the Centre has launched eight new railway projects worth ₹24,600 crore to expand the rail network by 900 kilometers across several states. One of these projects includes a railway line between Bhadrachalam and Malkangiri, covering 173 kilometers at an estimated cost of ₹4,109 crore.
As part of the same development plan, the fifth Vande Bharat train between Nagpur and Secunderabad has also been introduced.
The Centre has also approved the creation of an industrial smart city in Zaheerabad with an investment of ₹2,361 crore. This project is expected to generate 1.74 lakh jobs.
Additionally, national highway development works between Hyderabad and Nagpur will soon begin, with a budget of ₹6,661 crore. These projects are expected to boost economic development and create more employment opportunities in the region.
