VIZAG DURONTO EXPRESS TO START NEXT WEEK

The much-awaited Secunderabad- Visakhapatnam Duronto Express as well as five other trains announced in this year's Railway Budget will be introduced next week. These include four of the 16 mail and express trains originating in the south central zone. Passengers can welcome some crucial changes in the train timings, the extension in routes of some trains, an increase in frequency, and changes in the day and time of the trains.

To facilitate passengers wanting to avail Tatkal tickets, booking for Tatkal tickets will begin from 10 am on the day previous to the date of journey instead of 8am as is the current practise. The decision was taken on the basis of passenger feedback received at booking counters and will be applicable from July 10 onwards. Besides, no authorised agents, including those of the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation or the Railway Travel Service, would be allowed to book Tatkal tickets between 10am and 12 noon.

SCR general manager G. N. Asthana released the new southern zone timetable on Saturday. According to the new timetable effective from July 1, 15 of the 75 mail/express trains and one passenger train announced in the Budget will originate from the south central zone, while 10 others would pass through the zone. Among the new trains introduced are a daily SecunderabadBellampalli Intercity Express, the KakinadaSecunderabad AC Express thrice a week, the Secunderabad- Darbhanga Express via Ballarshah, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Ranchi and Jhajha twice a week, and the weekly Hyderabad-Ajmer Express via Manmad, Itarsi and Ratlam. The tri-weekly fast train between Kakinada and Secunderabad is expected to start from July 6. Incidentally, the Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Duronto Express proposed in last year's budget will start this year. The timetables of trains will be made available at all stations. The Kadapa-Bangarpet line, the Gadwal-Raichur line, and the multi-mode transit system phase II in Hyderabad are progressing on schedule, say officials.