South Central Railway (SCR) on Wednesday announced the commissioning of a 11.2 km electrified double line between Malkapuram and Dhone as part of the Guntur-Guntakal doubling and electrification project. With this, continuous double line is available for 105 km between Guntakal and Betamcherla.
The Guntur-Guntakal section is a vital rail link connecting Guntur of Andhra Pradesh with the Rayalaseema region and beyond South. This line passes through Guntur, Prakasam, Palnadu, Nandyal and Kurnool districts of that State, connecting its hinterland. The 401-km Guntur-Guntakal doubling and electrification project was sanctioned in 2016-17 at an estimated cost of ₹3,887 crore.
The doubling and electrification of Nallapadu–Jaggambotla Krishnapuram (174 km), Betamcherla-Malkapuram (25 km) and Dhone–Guntakal (71 km) has already been completed and commissioned. With this, 281 km of this project was completed and commissioned.
The commissioned new stretch passes through north Dhone reserve forest and ghat section with sharp curves, eight major bridges and 16 minor bridges, according to an official release.
