Tirupati MP bats for Balaji Railway division

Tirupati: The Parliamentary standing committee on Railways, chaired by MP CM Ramesh held a crucial meeting in Tirupati on Monday to discuss various development issues pertaining to South Central Railways. After worshipping Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, the committee met at a private hotel, which was also attended by SCR GM Arun Kumar Jain, Tirupati MP Dr M Gurumoorthy, Rajya Sabha MP K Lakshman among others.

MP Gurumoorthy submitted a detailed memorandum to the committee with several proposals. In response to the growing demands for improved railway services in the Tirupati region, a proposal has been submitted, advocating for the establishment of a new Balaji Railway Division cantered in Tirupati. Currently, railway operations in the area are divided across multiple divisions, which has led to operational inefficiencies and challenges in managing the increasing flow of passenger and freight traffic, he stated. The proposed Balaji Railway Division aims to consolidate and oversee key routes, streamlining operations to support regional development and enhance connectivity within the state and neighbouring states. The routes that would come under the jurisdiction of this division include:Tirupati to Katpadi, which serves passengers traveling to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; Tirupati to Gudur providing connections to Chennai-Howrah and Chennai-Mumbai main lines. It also includes Tirupati to Dharmavaram route facilitating travel to Bengaluru and southern Karnataka; Tirupati to Yerraguntla–Nandyal, boosting access to the Rayalaseema region and Tirupati to Srikalahasti-Nadikudi, aimed at further expanding regional connectivity.

Additionally, the MP proposed extending key train routes to better serve commuters in the region. These include, Venkatadri Express (12798), currently running between Kacheguda and Chittoor, should be extended to Kuppam while Simhapuri Express (12710), presently operating between Secunderabad and Gudur, should be extended to Tirupati.

Gurumoorthy also proposed a Vande Bharat train from Nellore to Mysore via Tirupati and Renigunta to facilitate devotees and tourists. Also, he explained the need for introducing a Vande Bharat sleeper train between Tirupati and Visakhapatnam to reduce the travel time between the two key stations and provide better connectivity. Among other trains, the MP proposed new trains between Tirupati – Brahmapur, Tirupati – Varanasi, Ayodhya, Tirupati – Shirdi (daily) and Nellore – Tiruvannamali via Tirupati and Chittoor.

After the meeting, the committee members visited Tirupati Railway station and reviewed the progress of ongoing upgradation works. They inspected the works on the south and north sides of the station and asked the authorities to speed up the pending works to complete the project within the stipulated time. Tirupati station director K Satyanarayana and others were present.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders Kola Anand, Gundala Gopinath and others also met CM Ramesh and requested to complete the station development works in a swift manner as it is causing much inconvenience to the passengers.