Officials seek Vande Bharat and Garib Rath stops at Tadepalligudem

Officials requested stops for Vande Bharat Express and Garib Rath Express services at Tadepalligudem after inspecting station modernisation works on October 9, The Hindu reported.

Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivas Varma, South Coast Railway General Manager Sandeep Mathur and MLA Bolisetti Srinivas visited the station in West Godavari district. Vijayawada Divisional Railway Manager Mohit Sonkia also attended.

The railways has allocated ₹45 crore, equivalent to ₹450 million, for the station’s development. The project includes a road underbridge and better road access as part of a station modernisation programme.

Varma linked the request to Tadepalligudem’s importance as a trading centre in the Godavari region and its proximity to the National Institute of Technology Andhra Pradesh. He said the town needed more train stops and infrastructure.

Jana Sena legislator Bolisetti Srinivas said railway officials had been asked to consider stops for 18 trains. The requests do not amount to an approved timetable change or confirmation that the additional stops will be introduced.