Visakhapatnam: A new train connecting New Delhi Andhra Pradesh is in off position by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today.
New Delhi-Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam AP AC Super Fast Express started its maiden voyage from this coastal city with flag Minister train via video link from Rail Bhavan in New Delhi.
The tri-weekly express will stop Vizag, as coastal city also is called, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 7.45 am and arrive in New Delhi at 7 pm the following day.
It will stop at Duvvada, Vijayawada, Anakapalli, Samalkot, Rajahmundry, Eluru and Tadepalligudem and Khammam in Andhra Pradesh, Warangal, Peddapalli, Ramagundum and Sirpur Kagaznagar in Telangana.
It will also stop in Balharshah, Chandrapur, Nagpur JN, Itarsi, Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior and Agra Cantt, taking over 36 hours to cover the distance 2099 km.
The train will depart from New Delhi every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.40 am.
Although it was originally proposed to run the AP Express from New Delhi to Vijayawada daily, as announced in the railway budget for 2014-15, following persistent demands Vizag leaders decided that the train will proceed coastal city and run through Vijayawada.
Mr. Prabhu said that with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, separate trains were sanctioned by the two states. He said the Vizag-Delhi train was launched in line with the aspirations of the people of Andhra Pradesh.
He also announced that the existing access point Express between Hyderabad and New Delhi now be called Telangana Express. However, officially it enters into force only from 15 November.
The existing AP Express is a daily train connecting Hyderabad with the capital.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said discussions were in Vizag make an independent rail zone.
The ceremony in New Delhi also attended by union ministers Ashok Gajapati Raju, YS Chowdary and Bandaru Dattatreya, while MPs and ministers of state were present in coastal Andhra train station Vizag.
