It’s a four decade dream come true for the people of Medak, when the trial run of a train was held between Akkannapet and Medak for about 17.2 kilometres on Saturday.
Railway officials checked the speed, signals and other related issues during the trail run.
The demand for this rail connectivity to the district headquarters goes back to the 1980s, when the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had represented the Medak Lok Sabha constituency. However, the move did not go ahead with successive governments ignoring it.
After the formation of Telangana State, the issue again came to light and then Lok Sabha member Vijayashanti laid foundation stone for the railway line.
The new line will connect Medak district headquarters town to Akkannapet from where people can go to Secunderabad or Maharasthra via Nizamabad.
The trial run was celebrated by performing a puja. “The rail line is established at a cost of ₹206 crore and both the Centre and State shared it. We had acquired 371 acres from about 900 farmers and paid them ₹16.84 crore as compensation,” said MLA M. Padma Devender Reddy, while speaking to reporters. She said that railway stations are coming up in Medak, Lakshmapur in Ramayampet mandal and Shamnapur in Haveli Ghanapur mandal.
Senior railway officials Sumoyi Mitra, Sharath Chandrayan and Amit Goyal tested the railway track, culverts, signal system and station control room.
