Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Railways addresses Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4420 regarding the construction of a dedicated Coastal Railway Corridor in Andhra Pradesh. Several surveys have been sanctioned for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to improve connectivity in the coastal region. While exact timelines are not fixed, the Ministry highlights increased budget allocation for Andhra Pradesh and ongoing infrastructure projects.
Key Points / Main Content:
Coastal Connectivity Enhancements:
* Kotapalli-Narsapur new line project (57 km, ₹2120 crore) sanctioned; work on bridges and land acquisition underway.
* Kakinada is already connected to Annavaram via Samalkot through a double line section.
* Surveys Sanctioned for DPR Preparation:
* Haridaspur-Vizianagram 4th line (450 km)
* Bapatla-Repalle new line (46 km)
* Machilipatnam-Repalle new line (45 km)
* Narsapur-Machilipatnam new line (74 km)
* Kottavalasa-Anakapalle bypass (35 km)
* Nidadavolu-Duvvada 3rd and 4th line (198 km)
Project Approval and Timelines:
* Project sanctioning requires consultation with stakeholders, including State Governments, NITI Aayog, and the Ministry of Finance, after the DPR is finalized.
* Exact timelines cannot be fixed due to various factors affecting project completion.
Factors Affecting Project Completion:
* Land acquisition, forest clearance, cost sharing by State Governments, project priorities, utility shifting, statutory clearances, geological conditions, law and order, and climatic conditions.
Budget and Infrastructure Development:
* Significant increase in Andhra Pradesh budget allocation for railway infrastructure.
* Increased commissioning of infrastructure projects in Andhra Pradesh (1,582 km from 2014-2025).
* As of 01.04.2025, 39 projects (12 New Lines, 27 Doubling) sanctioned in Andhra Pradesh, costing ₹70,231 crore, with 1,179 km commissioned and ₹28,039 crore spent.
Project Sanctioning Criteria:
* Railway projects are sanctioned based on remunerativeness, traffic projections, connectivity, congestion, demands from stakeholders, operational requirements, socio-economic considerations, and fund availability.
Impact Analysis:
State Government of Andhra Pradesh:
* Impact: Required to collaborate on land acquisition, cost sharing (if applicable), and project approvals.
* Action Required: Facilitate quick land acquisition, provide necessary clearances, and potentially share project costs.
NITI Aayog and Ministry of Finance:
* Impact: Responsible for appraising and approving project proposals based on DPRs.
* Action Required: Review and appraise DPRs when submitted and provide necessary approvals.
Ministry of Railways:
* Impact: Oversees project planning, sanctioning, and execution.
* Action Required: Finalize DPRs, consult with stakeholders, secure necessary approvals, and manage project implementation.
Local Communities and Businesses in Andhra Pradesh:
* Impact: Potential beneficiaries of improved connectivity for agriculture, fisheries, petroleum logistics, and tourism.
* Action Required: Monitor project progress and engage with relevant authorities to voice concerns and support project implementation.
Key Entities Referenced
Coastal Railway Corridor: A proposed railway infrastructure project in Andhra Pradesh to connect key coastal towns.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India where the Coastal Railway Corridor and related railway projects are planned and executed.
Ministry of Railways: The government ministry responsible for the development and maintenance of the railway infrastructure in India.
Ashwini Vaishnaw: The Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology who answered the question in the Lok Sabha.
NITI Aayog: A policy think tank of the Government of India involved in the appraisal of railway projects.
Ministry of Finance: The government ministry responsible for financial approvals of railway projects.
Haridaspur-Vizianagram 4th line: A sanctioned railway line survey project covering 450 km.
Detailed Project Report DPR: A report containing details of project which requires consultation with various stakeholders including State Governments and necessary approvals.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4420
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025
COASTAL RAILWAY CORRIDOR IN ANDHRA PRADESH
4420. SHRI TANGELLA UDAY SRINIVAS:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is planning for the construction of a
dedicated Coastal Railway Corridor in Andhra Pradesh particularly
to connect key coastal towns such as Annavaram, Kakinada,
Machilipatnam and Bapatla;
(b) if so, the details and current status of the proposal including any
feasibility studies conducted or sanctioned;
(c) whether the Government has assessed the potential economic
benefits of such a corridor in terms of facilitating agricultural
exports, fisheries, petroleum logistics and coastal tourism and if so,
the details thereof;
(d) the details of the estimated cost, proposed timeline and funding
pattern for the project, if approved; and
(e) the details of the steps being taken to expedite the development
of rail infrastructure to improve port connectivity and boost
economic activity along the Andhra Pradesh coastline?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (e) To improve the connectivity in Coastal area of Andhra
Pradesh, Kotapalli-Narsapur new line project of 57 km costing Rs.2120crore has been taken sanctioned. Work on important bridges and Land
acquisition have been taken up.
Kakinanda is already connected to Annavaram via Samalkot through
double line section.
To further improve the connectivity of Coastal region of Andhra
Pradesh and ports, following surveys have been sanctioned for
preparation of the Detailed Project Report(DPR):
1. Haridaspur-Vizianagram 4th line (450 km)
2. Bapatla-Repalle new line (46 km)
3. Machilipatnam-Repalle new line (45 km)
4. Narsapur-Machilipatnam new line (74 km)
5. Kottavalasa-Anakapalle bypass (35 km)
6. Nidadavolu-Duvvada 3rd and 4th line (198 km)
After firming up of Detailed Project Report (DPR), sanctioning of
project requires consultation with various stake-holders including
State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI
Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc.As sanctioning of projects is a
continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.
The completion of any Railway project depends on various factors like
quick land acquisition by State Government, forest clearance by
officials of forest department, deposition of cost share by State
Government in cost sharing projects, priority of projects, shifting of
infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities,
geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order
situation in the area of project(s) site, number of working months in a
year for particular project site due to climatic conditions etc.Andhra Pradesh
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly.
Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling
fully/partly in the State of Andhra Pradesh is as under:-
Year Budget outlay Increase w.r.t.
average annual
allocation during
2009-14
2009-2014 ₹886 cr/year (including -
Telangana)
2025-2026 9417 cr More than 11 times
Commissioning of infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the
State of Andhra Pradesh is as under:
Period Total Length Average change w.r.t.
Commissioned Length average
Commissioned commissioning
during 2009-14
2009-14 363 km 72.6 km/Year -
2014-25 1,582 km 143.82 km/ More than 4 times
Year
As on 01.04.2025, 39 projects(12 New Lines and 27 Doubling),
covering total length of 4,498km length, costing ₹70,231crore, falling
fully/partly in Andhra Pradesh, are sanctioned, out of which 1,179 km
length has been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹28,039 crore
has been incurred upto March 2025. The status of the work is
summarized as:
No. of Total Length Expupto March
Category sanction Length Commissioned 2025
ed (in km) (Km) (₹. in cr.)
projects
New Line 12 1595 199 6413
Double 27 3904 979 21626
Line
TOTAL 39 4499 1178 28,039Railway projects are surveyed/ sanctioned/executed Zonal Railway
wise and not State-wise/Division-wise as the Railway projects may
span across State boundaries. Railway projects are sanctioned on the
basis of remunerativeness, traffic projections, last mile connectivity,
missing links and alternate routes, augmentation of
congested/saturated lines, demands raised by State Governments,
Central Ministries, Members of Parliament, other public
representatives, Railway’s own operational requirement, socio-
economic considerations etc. depending upon throwforward of
ongoing projects and overall availability of funds.
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