Indian Railways approves Rs 299 crore Visakhapatnam coaching yard project

The Indian Railways has approved a Rs 299 crore project to modernise the Visakhapatnam Coaching Yard under the South Coast Railway, aimed at significantly enhancing the station’s operational capacity. The project aims to upgrade passenger facilities at one of the country’s busiest railway terminals, which handles nearly 80,000 passengers every day and averages 113 trains daily.

Railway Upgrades:

The sanctioned project includes the construction of additional railway lines and platforms, and the installation of an Electronic Interlocking (EI) system to streamline train operations.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the Visakhapatnam project will address the existing yard layout, where terminating and through trains negotiate multiple surface crossings, resulting in delays at approach signals, reduced platform availability, and operational bottlenecks.

The remodelling will reduce detention time, reduce the impact of surface crossings, enable handling of additional trains, and improve platform occupancy at the station. It is also stated that the project will ensure that Visakhapatnam Railway Station has additional infrastructure to handle growing passenger demand more effectively. The Railway Station will also have changes that will help reduce detention and improve train punctuality.

As part of the project, the six existing platforms will be widened along with six new platforms, and six additional railway lines will be constructed to expand the station’s capacity. The project will also work to reorganise the yard point zones by dismantling the loop lines to ensure smoother train movement.

Passenger Facilities Upgrades:

The passenger facilities will also receive a major facelift with many upgrades. The widened platforms will be equipped with ramps, lifts, and escalators to boost accessibility and strengthen commuter convenience. The eastern side of the Visakhapatnam Railway station will feature a new entrance, and the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) will be relocated to improve passenger circulation.

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