Double-Decker trains for AP

New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge on Wednesday proposed Double-Decker Trains for Andhra Pradesh. These are the Kacheguda-Tirupati Double-Decker Express and the Guntur-Kacheguda Double-Decker Express (bi-weekly). In his maiden Railway Budget, Union Railway Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge proposed an independent Rail Tariff Authority to be set up to rationalise fares and there was a proposal to expand dynamic pricing of tickets in line with the airline industry.

Kharge announced the launch of 17 new Premium trains, 39 Express trains and 10 Passenger trains in the coming year and providing rail connectivity to Katra and Vaishnodevi in Jammu and Kashmir and Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in the North-East. Out of the 66 new trains announced in the Rail budget, 15 express trains pertain to South Central Railway (SCR).

This constitutes 28 per cent share out of the total new express trains. Kharge proposed the new Premium Train, Yeshwantpur-Katra Express (weekly), which passes through via Gulbarga, Kachegua, Nagpur and New Delhi. Among the Express Trains, he has introduced the Hyderabad-Gulbarga Intercity (daily), Nagercoil- Kacheguda Express (weekly), Secunderabad- Visakhapatnam AC Express (weekly) via Kazipet and Vijayawada. In the Passenger Train category is the Guntur-Visakhapatnam Passenger (daily). Frequency of the Hubli-Vijayawada Express frequency has been increased from 3 days to a daily. Meanwhile, reacting to the railway vote on account budget, experts felt that the state got a Raw deal. They said, it has once again been proved that the numbers can be deceptive.