MP Vaddiraju asks Railways Minister to establish Kothagudem railway division

BRS Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra has urged Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to establish a railway division at Kothagudem, citing its historical importance, coal transport role and upcoming railway projects connecting multiple States

Khammam: BRS Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra has asked Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to establish a railway division at Kothagudem.

According to a statement from the MP office here on Friday, he, along with another BRS MP KR Suresh Reddy, called on the Union Minister in New Delhi and handed over a letter in connection with the matter.

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Ravichandra said Kothagudem railway station holds historical importance and has contributed to Telangana’s development. Its origins date back to the British era around 1932, when “Bhadrachalam Road” station was set up to serve the rapidly expanding Singareni coalfields.

Archival records and rare photographs from that period show that British officials associated with the railway and mining operations considered the station a strategic coal transport hub. For nearly a century, Kothagudem has played a vital role in powering the nation.

It enabled the extraction and transportation of coal during the British period and continues to serve as a major logistics base for Singareni Collieries (SCCL). It remains one of the key contributors to freight revenue in Indian Railways.

Referring to yet-to-be-launched railway projects converging at Kothagudem such as Kothagudem-Kirandul line, Malkangiri-Bhadrachalam line, Junagarh-Malkangiri-Bhadrachalam corridor and the proposed Kothagudem-Sathupalli-Kovvur link, he said the railway station would evolve into a major quad-State railway hub connecting Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

As Kothagudem approaches its 100-year milestone in 2032, the people of this region have a genuine and long-pending expectation that this historic station be given its due recognition by establishing a railway division, Ravichandra said.