Guntur Railway Division is one of the three divisions of the
South Coast Railway zone
South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) has been announced as the newest railway zone of the Indian Railways and is headquartered at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The formal notification for operationalization of this Zone is yet to be issued.
Jur ...
of
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
. The division was sanctioned in 1995–96 and was fully operational on 1 April 2003, with its headquarters at
Guntur
Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. ...
.
The ''Rail Vikas Bhavan'' in Pattabhipuram area of Guntur, serves as the office of ''Divisional Railway Manager''. The present divisional manager is V.G.Bhooma.
History
The
Krishna Canal-
Nandyal
Nandyal is a city and District headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division.
Demographics
In the 2011 census of India, Nandya ...
(KCC-NDL) stretch was a part of the important East-West coast link that connected
Margao
Margao or Madgaon is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on banks of the Sal river and is the administrative headquarters of Salcete sub-district and South Goa district. It is Goa's second largest city by population ...
in
Goa to
Masulipatnam
Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquar ...
in the erstwhile
Madras Province
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. It was originally built to
Metre Gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, ...
by the Southern Mahratta Railway (later the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway-MSMR) during 1889–90. The track passed through the
Nallamala Hills
The Nallamalas (also called the Nallamalla Range) are a section of the Eastern Ghats which forms the eastern boundary of Rayalaseema region of the state of Andhra Pradesh and Nagarkurnool district of the state of Telangana, in India. They run i ...
and as a result quite a few major engineering works were undertaken in the course of the railroad construction, the most impressive of them being the massive Dorabavi Viaduct and the
Bogada Tunnel, both of them about 30 km from Nandyal. This section was converted to Broad Gauge during 1993–95. The gauge conversion was a difficult task owing to the difficult terrain. The old alignment between Gazulapalli and
Diguvametta
Diguvametta is a village in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Nallamala Hills and is surrounded by forests on almost all sides. It had a population of 5166 at the time of the 2001 Census.
Geography
Diguvametta is ...
was abandoned and a new Bogada tunnel, about 1.6 km in length and a new Dorabavi Viaduct located at a much lower altitude were constructed at a huge expense. The railway passes through the historic
Cumbum Tank, starting from
Cumbum railway station and spread over an area of 7 km. It is one of the most picturesque valleys in
Guntur
Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. ...
-
Nandyal
Nandyal is a city and District headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division.
Demographics
In the 2011 census of India, Nandya ...
section of South Central Railway.
The Guntur-Macherla section was opened in 1930, by the ''Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway'' to serve the backward inner
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...
region. It too was originally
metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, ...
and was converted to
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union ( C ...
in 1992–93. This section was used for the transport of limestone, quartz &cement, primarily from
Piduguralla
Piduguralla is a town in Palnadu district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.The town is the headquarters of Piduguralla mandal and administered under Gurazala revenue division. The town is also known as ''Lime City of India '' as there are a ...
, popularly known as the Lime City. The section from Guntur to the coastal town of
Repalle
Repalle is a town in Bapatla district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town is one of the 12 municipalities in Bapatla district and the headquarters of Repalle mandal under the administration of Bapatla revenue division. It is situat ...
was built to the broad gauge by the Madras and Southern Railway in 1916. This line connected to the East Coast main line at
Tenali
Tenali is a city in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Tenali mandal and Tenali revenue division. The city is renowned for art, culture, drama and hence, it is called ''Andhr ...
. The section from Tenali to Repalle was owned by Guntur District Board until 1964. The foundation stone for the 152 km long
Bibinagar
Bibinagar is a Mandal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Bibinagar mandal of Bhongir revenue division. It is famous for All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar.
Governance
Bibinag ...
-
Nadikudi
Nadikudi is a part of dachepalli municipality in Palnadu district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Dachepalli Town of Gurazala revenue division.
Geography
Nadikudi is situated to the west of the mandal headquarters, Dach ...
rail project that opened an alternative route to
Secunderabad
Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South Central Railway ...
from
Vijayawada
Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...
and connected the interior of Telangana to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
was laid by the then Prime Minister of India,
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 and was al ...
on 7 April 1974. The project was finally finished in 1989 and the line commissioned a year later.
Two major bridges to span the
Krishna River and
Musi are located in this section. It is used by many south/east bound trains in a bid to decongest the heavily used
Warangal
Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 704,570 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an .
Warangal ser ...
-
Vijayawada
Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...
line. New rail lines are added in the region such as
Nadikudi–Srikalahasti section
The Nadikudi–Srikalahasti section is an ongoing railway section project of the Indian Railways. The section falls under the administration of Guntur of South Central Railway Zone. This serves as alternative route to Delhi–Chennai and Howrah� ...
, part of which comes under the division. This will be an alternate route to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
/
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...
for
Guntur City
Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. It is situated to the west of the Bay ...
.
Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the division covers the districts of
Guntur
Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. ...
,
Kurnool
Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also s ...
,
Prakasam in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District, is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The administrative headquarters is located at Bhuvanagiri Town. The district shares boundaries with Suryapet, Nalgonda, Jangaon, Siddipet, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Ranga ...
,
Nalgonda
Nalgonda is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the Nalgonda district, as well as the headquarters of the Nalgonda mandal in the Nalgonda revenue division. It is located about from the state cap ...
in
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...
.
It has a total route length of and running track of .
In Andhra Pradesh, it has a total route length of and in Telangana it is .
Sections and branch lines
The sections and branch lines route map breakup is as follows:
''Source: SCR Railway Map 2018''
''Under construction'':
*- railway line
Categorization of stations
The list includes the stations under the jurisdiction of Guntur railway division and classified based on their respective category.
Source:
Performance and earnings
The division operates around 200 express, passenger and freight trains every day.
The primary commodity transported by the division is
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixe ...
,
clinker
Clinker may refer to:
*Clinker (boat building), construction method for wooden boats
*Clinker (waste), waste from industrial processes
*Clinker (cement), a kilned then quenched cement product
* ''Clinkers'' (album), a 1978 album by saxophonist St ...
,
food grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes ...
s, besides
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
and
fertilizer
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
. Other commodities include
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
,
chillies
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for t ...
,
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
,
paddy
Paddy may refer to:
People
*Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname
*An ethnic slur for an Irishman
Birds
*Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon
* Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species
*Black-faced s ...
,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
and
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
waste.
In 2003, the
freight
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tran ...
earnings were .
After a decade, it stands at in 2013–14. In 2008-09, the gross revenue was , a decline in figures compared to previous fiscal of , due to
recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
.
In the fiscal year 2018–19, it registered a growth of 69% freight earnings alone.
* ''Gross includes passenger, freight, sundry and other coaching revenues''
Awards and achievements
*''Rail Vikas Bhavan'', the office of the divisional railway manager was awarded ''platinum rating'' by ''Greening and Beautification Corporation of Andhra Pradesh''.
See also
*
Divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways divides its operations into zones, which are further sub-divided into divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. There are a total of 19 zones (including Metro Railway, Kolkata) and 70 Divisions on Indian Railway System. ...
*
Vijayawada railway division
Vijayawada railway division (formerly: Bezawada railway division) is one of the three railway divisions under South Coast Railways of the Indian Railways. The headquarters of the division are located at Vijayawada.
History
It was formed as ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guntur Division
Railway stations in Guntur railway division
Divisions of Indian Railways
2003 establishments in Andhra Pradesh
South Central Railway zone