South Central Railway zone commissions first longer loop at Bikkavolu

The South Central Railway (SCR) region has commissioned its first longer loop line at the Bikkavolu station in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, with the goal of accommodating more trains and easing the service, among others.

“The first longer SCR loop was commissioned by the Bikkavolu Railway Station of the Vijayawada Division located on the busy Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam (Waltair) section,” said the railway zone official.

Generally, loop lines are constructed with a length of 750 metres to accommodate full length goods trains with multiple engines.

“With the increasing need to handle more number of trains with higher average speeds, Indian Railways has been encouraging the construction of longer loops of around 1,500 metres,” said the official.

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Longer loops are equipped to accommodate long haul trains such as Jai Kisan wherein two freight trains are combined and run for quick mobility.

Likewise, they also enable quicker crossing and movement of trains, improves punctuality of passenger trains, enables handling of more trains and improves overall train operations.

“The execution works for construction of longer loop at Bikkavolu has been taken up with meticulous planning without any disruption to regular train services,” he said about the loop which cost Rs 85 crore.

Incidentally, the Bikkavolu longer loop has been completed before the targeted date while commissioning works for other selected stations is underway along with the third line works being executed between Vijayawada and Gudur
The Bikkavolu longer loop has two isolations to strengthen the safety and also facilitates stabling two trains at a time.

The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned the construction of longer loops in six stations in Vijayawada division of SCR: Baikkavolu, Nawabpalem and Elamanchili in Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam section and Nidubrolu, Ammanabrolu and Bitragunta in Vijayawada-Chennai section.

Meanwhile, the loops at Nawabpalem and Elamanchili are nearing completion, targeted for commissioning in 2021.