The Kakinada–Kotipalli branch line was first laid in 1928, but was removed in 1940 with the onset of World War II. The British rulers, then ruling in India, were facing shortage of steel and took away the tracks for use somewhere else.[2] The 45-kilometre-long (28 mi) line was relaid at a cost of Rs. 67 crores (670 million). It was formally opened in November 2004. However, that was only a partly finished project.[3]
The balance of the project
The total project envisaged construction of two lines – the first from Kakinada to Kotipalli, and the second from Kotipally to Narsapur via Amalapuram. The 2001–02 estimates for the Kotipalli–Narsapur line was Rs. 710 crores (7.1 billion). The estimates are high because three bridges need to be constructed across three distributaries of the Godavari: first, a 3,550-metre-long (11,650 ft) bridge across the Gautami between Kotipalli and Mukteswaram, second, a 700-metre-long (2,300 ft) bridge across Vainateya, between Bodasakurru and Pasarlapudi, and third 750-metre-long (2,460 ft) across the Vasista between Narsapur and Sakinetipally.[4][5] In the context of limited resources for funding projects in India, it is a tall order, and funds are coming only in trickles, as for example Rs. 2 Crores (20million) spent in acquiring 110 acres of land.[4] Obviously, such a project had high-profile backers such as G. M. C. Balayogi who was Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1998 to 2002, and S.P.B.K. Satyanarayana Rao, former union minister and MP from Rajahmundry.[3][4]
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