AP Chambers Pushes for Better Rail Links in Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) has congratulated Sandip Mathur on assuming charge as General Manager of the South Coast Railway Zone, urging him to address the State’s persistent gaps in rail connectivity and infrastructure.

In a representation, AP Chambers President Potluri Bhaskara Rao said the zone’s commencement from June 1, 2026, fulfilled a historic commitment under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He noted that despite Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam ranking among Indian Railways’ top revenue-generating divisions, the State remained significantly underserved in rail connectivity, infrastructure and train allocations.

The federation sought introduction of additional trains from Vijayawada to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Pune. It also urged expansion of Vande Bharat services with early morning connectivity to Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Chennai and Tirupati, expeditious launch of the Vijayawada–Bengaluru Vande Bharat, and introduction of Vande Bharat Sleeper services to long-distance destinations.

AP Chambers further appealed for Dedicated Freight Corridors and modernisation of major stations — Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Guntur, Guntakal, Nellore and Kakinada — with improved amenities and multimodal connectivity. It stressed the need to strengthen rail linkages serving industrial corridors, ports and pilgrimage destinations to foster balanced regional development.