Railway minister Suresh Prabhu announced a number of major railway projects for Andhra Pradesh, including a high-speed rail line between new capital Amaravati and Bengaluru. He, however, remained non-committal on the establishment of a new railway zone with headquarters at Visakhapatnam, alleging that the erstwhile UPA government did not “specify” it in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

The Railway Minister announced that two high-speed rail lines would be built between Visakhapatnam and Chennai and Bengaluru and Amaravati in collaboration with foreign countries. The Railway Minister also announced an aggregate capital investment of Rs 1,000 crore for setting up two new railway workshops at Kurnool and Tirupati and a wagon overhaul facility at Visakhapatnam.

Prabhu also announced that a major Rail Neer plant would also be set up in Andhra Pradesh. Two special tourist trains would also be introduced in the state, one of which would be run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).