Rail infra boost: South Central Railway sets aside Rs 13,000 cr for FY27

The South Central Railway (SCR) Zone of Indian Railways has allocated a capital expenditure of over Rs 13,000 crore for the financial year 2026-27, aimed at strengthening infrastructure through new lines, track doubling, renewals and other works.

The allocation marks an 18.3 per cent increase from Rs 11,012 crore in FY26, according to A Sridhar, chief public relations officer of the SCR Zone.

“In order to continue the same tempo towards infrastructure growth, the budget allocations in the current fiscal (2026-27) is also (on the) higher side as compared with last FY (financial year). A capex of Rs 13,026 crore has been allotted as against Rs 11,012 crore in the last FY (FY26) with an increase of 18.3 per cent,” he said in an official release on Friday.

Of the total Rs 13,026 crore allocation, Rs 1,315 crore has been earmarked for new lines, Rs 5,083 crore for track doubling, Rs 1,908 crore for track renewals, Rs 403 crore for traffic facilities, and Rs 683 crore for road safety works.

During 2025-26, the zone focused on infrastructure expansion and added 194 km of track, including new lines, doubling and tripling.

Nearly 36 km of new lines were laid between Mallavaram and Kanigiri. Track doubling covered 79 km, including 13.4 km between Panyam and Nandyal, 17 km between Basar and Navipet, and a 21.4 km bypass line at Kazipet.

The zone also completed around 2 km of ‘Y’ connectivity at Tandur and 2.1 km of bypass line at Peddapalli.

Track tripling of 79.8 km was carried out between Balharshah and Manikgarh, along with 5.8 km between Motumari and Madhira, 30.4 km between Mahabubabad and Nekkonda, and 19.5 km between Khammam and Dornakal. The zone also electrified 325 track km in FY26.

Sridhar said that the third line works on the Grand Trunk Route from Gudur via Vijayawada and Kazipet to Balharshah are almost complete for around 700 km, except for some small stretches.

He noted that completion of this line will allow smoother movement of both passenger and freight trains between South India and North India.

He added that bypass lines at Kazipet, Wadi and Peddapalli will help regulate traffic at key junctions.

The ‘Y’ connectivity at Tandur is expected to improve freight traffic from the region and support coaching movement on the Mumbai line.

The new line between Mallavaram and Kanigiri will connect remote villages to the rail network.

The SCR Zone serves as a key link between South India and North India, with the Gudur–Balharshah route forming part of the Grand Trunk corridor for both freight and passenger trains.

The Kazipet–Wadi line via Secunderabad is also described as a high-density network.

With the network operating at high capacity, the zone has focused on infrastructure upgrades to reduce congestion and ease traffic movement, Sridhar said.

(With inputs from agencies)