Title - Tirupati to Karimnagar train flagged off

Local MP Chinta Mohan flagged off the inaugural run of the Tirupati-Karimnagar weekly express train here on Wednesday.

The inaugural of its corresponding train from Karimnagar to Tirupati will be flagged off at Karimnagar on Thursday.

Union minister of state for railways Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy told reporters later that the south entrance of Tirupati railway station would be developed and the railways had already released Rs 60 crore for the purpose. Development of the station to international standards will be taken up in a phased manner.

Reiterating that priority would be given to providing more amenities at railway stations, he said modern facilities like escalators and others will be installed in the coming days. On the fate of pending projects including the Srikalahasti-Nadikudi railway line, the minister said the ministry would take up all the projects it had announced.

The minister, who came to Tirupati railway station, after having darshan of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala left for Kurnool by a special train.

DERAILMENT: An empty compartment of a passenger train was derailed on shunting line near Tirupati railway station on Wednesday morning.

According to railway officials, Rayalaseema Express, which arrived at the station on Wednesday morning, went back for shunting from the platform, where one of the bogie got derailed.

However, as the train is moving slowly,  the derailment was confined only to a single bogie and as there were no passengers at the time of incident, no causalities were reported. The derailment did not cause any inconvenience to the movements of other trains as it happened on a separate line intended for shunting.