Date:10/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/10/stories/2008031054700800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Naupada-Gunupur line to be ready by year-end

J Balaji

The narrow gauge is being converted at a cost of Rs. 140 crore

Demands of North Andhra and South-East Orissa people will be solved to a great extend
For more than three-and-a-half years the line is closed for traffic

VISAKHAPATNAM: Probably the only narrow gauge line in the entire Andhra Pradesh and the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone covering AP, Orissa and Chattisgarh will soon become history as the Waltair division of the ECoR is all set to finish the gauge conversion of 90 km. Naupada – Gunupur line at a cost of Rs.140 crore and allow trains by 2008.

The long pending demand of the people of North Andhra and South-East Orissa would be solved to a great extend as Naupada (Srikakulam district) and Gunupur (Rayagada district) are important locations and the line connects these two districts through Paralakhemundi in Gajapathi district.

Source said by June Paralakhemundi-Naupada link would be completed and thereafter the remaining link up to Gunupur would be made through. The single line passes through 35 km. in Srikakulam district, 45 km. in Gajapathi district and 7 km. in Rayagada district.

Survey

Simultaneously the authorities have also taken up a survey work to provide 130 km. rail link between Terubali (near Rayagada) and Gunupur, which if done, would help trains coming from Raipur to go to Naupada without touching Vizianagaram and thus save two to three hours of rail journey.

Beneficial

Besides those travelling in the Rayagada-Koraput line would also be benefited as they could easily go to Naupada and other stations on the main line.

As the Naupada-Gunupur line mainly caters to the passengers’ traffic and also it is more than three-and-a-half years (June 9, 2004) since the line was closed for traffic, the railways wanted to speed up the work.

The then British government laid the narrow gauge line in 1889 between Paralakhemundi and Naupada for the personal usage of the then Maharaja of Paralakhemundi, Krushna Chandra Gajapati, to go to Madras (now Chennai). As the line was used for transporting forest products to the Howrah-Chennai main line, the Britishers, in 1912 extended it up to Gunupur beyond Paralakhemundi. After independence the line was handed over to the railways in 1949. The foundation for the gauge conversion work was laid by then Union Minister of State for Railways Bandaru Dattatreya in 2002 and the actual work began during 2005-06.