Vijayawada, Oct 31 (KNN) The Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) has appealed to the Railway ministry to introduce long-distance trains to major cities originating from Vijayawada.

In a letter to the Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, the industry chamber requested the Union government to allocate at least two Vande Bharat Sleeper trains to Vijayawada division that originate from Vijayawada connecting New Delhi and Mumbai.

The strategic location of Vijayawada makes it a crucial link in the railway network, connecting major cities and regions in the country.

In the letter, AP Chambers said that the development of the new South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone has not yet materialised despite achieving sanctions many years ago and demanded that setting up the headquarters of the zone in Visakhapatnam be expedited.

The Chambers further requested the Union government to introduce a Vande Bharat train between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Bengaluru connecting Tirupati.

They also asked the government to complete the East Coast Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) at the earliest and commence the North-South DFC from Itarsi-Nagpur-Vijayawada as it will help the economic development of the State and will also bring down the logistics cost to the industry.

It also suggested that the DFCs should be connected with the ports in the State so that the cargo can be handled in a pollution-free and cost-effective manner.

(KNN Bureau)