TELANGANA: Vande Bharat Priority Sparks Delays for Express, Passenger Trains
Frustration is mounting among commuters in Telangana as routine express and passenger trains face lengthy halts to accommodate Vande Bharat superfast services.
Travelers heading to Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Aleru, Janagama, Kazipet, and Warangal report missing connections and wasting hours, with some quipping that they “got married and died” while waiting.
The Golconda Express, a key afternoon link, bears the brunt, forcing passengers to choose between overcrowded RTC buses or stalled rail journeys.
This setup feels like a slight to everyday riders, prioritizing premium trains over reliable service.
Operational Bottlenecks Exposed
Two Vande Bharat routes, one to Visakhapatnam and another to Nagpur, operate daily between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the Secunderabad-Yadadri Bhuvanagiri-Kazipet Junction line.
These trains pause only at Secunderabad and Warangal, yet they trigger hour-long stops for the Golconda Express on its Bhuvanagiri-Secunderabad-Kazipet path.
Such delays stretch travel times and erode trust in the system, even with multiple tracks available.
When pressed, railway officials offer no clear rationale, leaving riders to bear the inconvenience.
Station Shortcomings at Bhuvanagiri
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri station lacks a digital coach position display, relying instead on manual announcements from TC staff.
This outdated method heightens anxiety for those boarding superfast trains with just a minute’s stop, despite repeated calls for upgrades.
The station handles 26 daily services across three platforms: eight superfast, four MEMU locals, and 14 expresses like Dakshin, Gautami, and Kakatiya.
Yet, premium options such as Vande Bharat, Telangana, and Satavahana skip it entirely.
Calls for Better Prioritization
Passengers voice deep discontent over the district’s main station, near the revered Sri Yadadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple just 49 km from Secunderabad, receiving short shrift from railway authorities.
They argue for more halts on high-speed routes to ease the load on this vital hub.
As demand grows with temple pilgrimages and daily commutes, these issues spotlight the need for balanced scheduling.
Without swift fixes, the gap between flagship projects and ground realities could widen further.