Amaravati: The running speed of trains on the Arch Bridge across river Godavari between Rajamahendravaram and Kovvuru in Andhra Pradesh has been enhanced to 50 kilometres per hour, the South Central Railway has said.
This was the second time that the speed limit has been increased by 10 kmph in a span of three months.
The 2.9-km-long bridge falls on the Chennai-Howrah Golden Diagonal (Grand Trunk) route under SCR.
The Arch Bridge, which is touted as an engineering marvel, allowed a maximum speed of only 30 kmph for passenger and goods trains from 2015 till April this year, according to SCR Chief Public Relations Officer Ch Rakesh.
“South Central Railway recently completed deep screening activity with Ballast Cleaning Machines (BCM) along with replacement of sleepers that was a challenging task. This enabled enhancement of the maximum speed limit to 40 kmph in April and now further up to 50 kmph after successful speed trials,” he said in a release here.
Rakesh said the Arch Bridge was a crucial connecting link as both passenger and freight trains were operated with maximum capacity, leading to oversaturation of the section.
SCR General Manager (in-charge) Arun Kumar Jain said enhancement of train speed on the bridge would help ease congestion in railway operations.
It would also improve punctuality of trains and enhance travel experience for passengers, he added.
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