Guntur misses metro rail project

Guntur: The people of Guntur city are disappointed over the exclusion of their city from the metro rail project. Metro principal adviser E. Sridharan, after conducting a survey with his team, has said that first and second phase metro rail project would be constructed in Vijayawada and there is no need for metro rail in Guntur city. Nearly one lakh people per day travel to Vijayawada from Guntur and adjacent areas and people hoped for better and swift transportation facility with metro rail but their hopes are shattered with the new decision.

A total of 33 trains pass through the Guntur railway station per day in which seven are Memu and local trains. Guntur has two railway stations namely Guntur and New Guntur in the city and Nallapadu and Perecharla on the outskirts. The railway distance is only 35 km between Guntur and Vijayawada having broad-gauge track connecting Krishna Canal, Mangalagiri, Namburu and Pedakakani railway stations.

Students of Acharya Nagarjuna University, V. Prahlad, D. Bipin, K. Nagesh and others said that they used to travel in passenger trains to reach the university and hoped for better and swift transportation by metro rail, but in vain. They said that nearly 20,000 students per day go to the university from Guntur and Vijayawada and metro rail would be very helpful for them.

They said that the metro rail project is possible from Vijayawada to Guntur due to passengers rush but metro officials neglected the ground-level realities. They added that ministers and people’s representatives should pressurise the state government for metro rail to Guntur which would soon switch into one of the twin cities of the new capital.

There are no city buses in the Guntur city up to 35 km radius. Hence, metro rail would be very useful to the public, said P. Krishnamohan of the City Development For-um. He said that one has to spend Rs 32 to Rs 42 for the bus travel to go to Vijayawada but train fare is only Rs 10 for local train. Hence, metro rail should be extended to Guntur city. Retired railway engineer M. Subba Rao said that metro rail is very useful to the public due to unavailability of buses and trains after 10 pm from Guntur.

Earlier, officials had proposed Vijayawada-Yedlapadu corridor covering Mang-alagiri, Guntur and another Vijayawada-Tenali corridor covering Mangalagiri and Guntur which are very useful for the public.