The dream of having a railway line for Rama devotees is finally becoming a reality. The Prime Minister’s ‘Gati Shakti Master Plan’ includes a new railway line between Pandurangapuram in Bhadradri District and Malkangiri in Odisha. This project has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. Many devotees travel to Bhadrachalam to visit the Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple, but they have faced challenges due to the lack of a railway line.
The project will cost Rs 3,592 crores and cover a distance of 173.61 km, passing through Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. With this development, the number of Rama devotees visiting Bhadradri is expected to increase significantly. The railway line will pass through Koonavaram and Yetapaka mandals before reaching Bhadrachalam from Pandurangapuram.
The Final Location Survey (FLS) for the railway line was completed in September 2023. Although the government was expected to announce the project in this year’s budget, it was not included. The new railway line is anticipated to boost various sectors such as agriculture, trade, education, tourism, and healthcare. It will also enhance connectivity to ports serving industries in Telangana and Odisha, particularly Kakinada, increasing both freight and passenger traffic.
For 35 years, residents of this region have been demanding a railway line to Bhadrachalam. Former MPs made efforts to propose a 14 km rise line, but it never materialized. The industrial area near Palvoncha Mandal was close to Pandurangapuram railway station, but the station saw no development. Due to the lack of even basic roads, locals felt abandoned.
The Central government will provide special funding for the new railway line, transforming Pandurangapuram into a railway project. Plans for 170 km of new railways on the Malkangiri route were initially created in 2017–18, and the Pandurangapuram line has now been included. The project is expected to benefit not only Bhadradri Kothagudem but also East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. The Railway Department estimates the cost of the Pandurangapuram Railway Project at Rs 7.383 crores, but no timeline has been set yet.
