Parliament Question: Nandyal-Banaganapalle-Bethamcherla-Orvakal-Kurnool New Rail Line

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4258 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 NANDYAL-BANAGANAPALLE-BETHAMCHERLA-ORVAKAL-KURNOOL NEW RAIL LINE 4258. DR. BYREDDY SHABARI: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has received any proposals, requests, or surveys for the introduction of a new railway line connecting the Nandyal–Banaganapalle–Bethamcherla–Orvakal–Kurnool route; (b) if so, the current status of such proposals including dates of submission, approvals and reasons for any delay in sanctioning or budget allocation; (c) whether a Final Location Survey (FLS) has been conducted for this route and if so, details of the findings, estimated project cost, and timeline for implementation; and (d) whether the Government proposes to sanction and allocate funds for this route to improve intra-state connectivity and regional development and if so, the tentative timelines and priorities? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): Banaganapalle, Bethamcherla and Nandyal are already connected through existing railway network. Bethamcherla is connected to Kurnool via Dhone. However, for direct connectivity of Bethamcherla to Contd…2 §-2- Kurnool via Orvakal, Final Location Survey (FLS) for Dupadu (Kurnool)- Bethamcherla via Orvakal new line (48 Km) has been sanctioned for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR). The field survey work has been completed. After preparation of 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. Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors which include the following:  Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the proposed route  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project  Connection of missing links and providing additional route  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,  Railway’s operational requirements  Socio-economic considerations  Overall availability of funds *****