Date:02/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/02/stories/2008030259580600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Krishna Express likely to put brakes on RTC

Staff Reporter

ADILABAD: Is the extension of Krishna Express train up to Adilabad as announced in the Railway Budget portentous for the AP State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) here?

The Adilabad-Hyderabad route considered as the most yielding in RTC’s Adilabad region is bound to be hit because of the extension of this train that runs up to Tirupati via Hyderabad.

The Krishna Express that terminates at Nizamabad presently will be so timed as to leave and arrive at Adilabad that it suits the requirements of a majority of the passengers. Sources say the train will leave Adilabad station at about 11.30 p.m. to arrive in Secunderabad station at 5.30 am.

In the reverse direction too, the train will arrive at Adilabad early in the morning. Also, the present timings of the train at Nizamabad station may not change, it is said.

At present, RTC Adilabad depot has earnings estimated at Rs. 3 lakh per day purely through it operations to Hyderabad and back. Half of its 20 regular services and about two specials (on an average per day) on this route are night services of various descriptions.

The daily traffic therefore is about 1,800 to 1,900 passengers on either side for the RTC. In addition, the 10 services run by private operators have a capacity for haulage of 500 passengers on either side of the journey.

If half of these passengers prefer night travel, the Krishna Express will certainly be an ideal alternative considering better comfort levels in a coach. RTC officials however, are not perturbed. They say “we have learnt that the train will take longer to reach Secunderabad. There will hardly be any difference in the fare too”, said J. Devadanam, depot manager, Adilabad.