Duvvada–Vijayawada section

Duvvada–Vijayawada section
Ratnachal Express is one of the fastest and Prestigious trains on Duvvada–Vijayawada section
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Andhra Pradesh
Termini	Duvvada Vijayawada
Operation
Opened	1897
Owner	Indian Railway
Operator(s)	South Central Railway
Technical
Track length	350 km (217 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge
Operating speed	up to 130 km/h (81 mph)
Route map

The Duvvada–Vijayawada section (also known as Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada line) is a railway line connecting Duvvada of Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada both in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The main line is part of the Howrah-Chennai main line. The track from Duvvada to Thadi is under the administrative jurisdiction of East Coast Railway, and the rest of the line from Anakapalle to Vijayawada is under the administrative jurisdiction of South Central Railway zone.

Some years before passenger railways started functioning in India railway lines were laid for carrying construction materials. Amongst these were a line used for construction of the Solani aqueduct over the Ganges Canal near Roorkee in the 1830s, the Red Hill Railroad in 1837 used for construction of a canal near Chennai, and the Godavari Dam Construction Railway used for transporting materials for the construction of the Dowlaisweram Anicut at Rajahmundry around 1845. The project was completed in 1852 and the railway was closed down.

The Red Hill Railroad near Chennai, used in 1837 for transporting granite, is considered by many as the first operational railway in India. Madras Railway was incorporated in 1853 the Great Southern Railway of India was formed in 1858. The Great Southern Railway of India was merged with the Carnatic Railway in 1872 and renamed South Indian Railways in 1874. The main eastward route of Southern Mahratta Railway connected with other routes till Vijayawada (then known as Bezwada) in 1888. The mainline of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was extended to Vijayawada in 1889.

During the period 1893 to 1896, 1,287 km (800 mi) of the East Coast State Railway, from Vijayawada to Cuttack was built and opened to traffic. The construction of the Old Godavari Bridge in 1897 and construction of the Vijayawada-Madras link in 1899 enabled the through running of trains.