Union Minister Highlights Progress on Kothapalli-Manoharabad Railway Line
Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, announced that the Kothapalli-Manoharabad railway line would provide an alternative route to New Delhi in case of disruptions or accidents on the Secunderabad-Kazipet railway line. This project, he said, will further improve connectivity in Telangana. During his visit on Friday to Karimnagar Railway Station and other railway projects in his constituency, he reviewed the progress of the long-awaited Kothapalli-Manoharabad railway line. This project has been a long-cherished dream for the people of the former Karimnagar and Medak districts.
The Central government approved the construction of the 151.36 km Kothapalli-Manoharabad railway line on July 21, 2016. Initially, the project was estimated to cost ₹1,160.48 crore, but delays caused the cost to increase significantly. Bandi Sanjay shared that he had raised the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who assured full support. “They emphasized completing pending projects before approving new ones and committed to allocating all necessary funds for such projects,” he said.
Sanjay Kumar revealed that the revised cost of the project is now estimated at ₹2,780.78 crore, with ₹1,444.17 crore already spent. The state government is required to contribute one-third of the total project cost. So far, 76.135 km of the railway line has been completed, leaving around 75 km still under construction. For the 2024-25 financial year, ₹350 crore was allocated to the project, out of which ₹262.93 crore has already been utilized. The minister added, “Our target is to complete more than 30 km of railway construction in the Siddipet and Sircilla districts by September this year.”
Land acquisition for the railway line has been a significant challenge, but 90% of the required land has now been secured. Out of the total 1,145.627 hectares (around 2,830 acres) needed, 199 acres remain to be acquired. Additionally, 37.5 acres of forest land in the Rajanna Sircilla district need to be diverted, and efforts are underway to resolve this issue soon. The government aims to complete 31.06 km of construction from Vemulawada to Kothapalli by December 2023 and an additional 10.7 km in the Sircilla and Vemulawada areas by March 2026.
The tender process for the Siddipet-Sircilla section, spanning 76.13 km to 106.8 km, has been completed, and construction is progressing. “We plan to start new broad-gauge operations between Siddipet and Sircilla by December 2023,” the minister said. There are also plans to develop Kothapalli station into a junction with freight handling facilities, with operations expected to begin by March 2025.
For the Sircilla-Vemulawada section, covering 106.8 km to 111.5 km, the project has reached the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) stage. A key component of the project includes building a critical bridge over the Maneru River, which will ensure uninterrupted train travel on this route. The EPC tender process for the bridge is expected to begin by the end of the month, with the bridge playing a vital role in enhancing connectivity and easing train operations.
Bandi Sanjay expressed confidence that the entire Kothapalli-Manoharabad railway line would be completed and operational by 2027. He noted that once operational, the railway line would drive development in the backward areas of Telangana, particularly in the Medak, Siddipet, Rajanna Sircilla, and Karimnagar districts. This railway line will provide people in these regions with improved access to rail travel. During his visit, the minister also inspected the ongoing modernisation works at Karimnagar Railway Station.
