South Central Railway (SCR) has completed the 203 km Kazipet-Balharshah third line project along with electrification, marking a major upgrade of one of the country's busiest rail corridors.

The final 11 km stretch between Asifabad and Sirpur Kaghaznagar, including a bridge across the Bibra River, was commissioned on Wednesday, bringing the entire project to completion. The infrastructure work is intended to ease congestion and improve both passenger and freight movement along the Grand Trunk route connecting northern and southern India.

Execution of the project cost approximately Rs 30 billion (Rs 30 bn) and enables more seamless train operations on the north-south corridor. The Kazipet-Balharshah section is a crucial rail link that also serves several coal and cement sidings, and the additional line is intended to increase capacity for freight movements. Officials said the upgrade will reduce bottlenecks that had arisen from sustained growth in traffic over recent years.

To address mounting congestion, SCR had completed a 33 km tripling between Raghavapuram and Mandamarri in 2016, and the remaining 203 km stretch was sanctioned during 2015-16. The overall project spans 159 km in Telangana and 44 km in Maharashtra, reflecting coordinated work across state boundaries and different railway jurisdictions. Electrification was carried out in tandem with track laying to permit efficient electric traction across the section.

While the third line and electrification have been completed and commissioned, a short stretch near Balharshah station that falls under Central Railway jurisdiction is still being connected to the Balharshah yard through the newly laid third line. Once full interconnection is achieved, operations across the corridor will be simpler to manage and scheduling flexibility will improve. SCR indicated that the infrastructure enhancement will support growing demand and strengthen connectivity between the northern and southern rail networks.