Mon Mar 17 13:33:20 UTC 2025: ## Visakhapatnam’s Weekly Trains: High Demand Calls for Daily Service

**Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh – March 17, 2025** – Several highly popular weekly trains departing from Visakhapatnam Junction are facing intense pressure due to overwhelming passenger demand, prompting calls for their conversion to daily services. Data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request reveals consistently high occupancy rates, exceeding 100% on several routes.

The 18503 Visakhapatnam-Sai Nagar Shirdi Express, for example, boasts an average occupancy of over 160% over the past two years. Similar figures are reported for the Visakhapatnam–Quilon and Visakhapatnam–Gandhidham trains, with one even exceeding 197% occupancy in a single period. The Visakhapatnam-Chennai Central Weekly SF Express also showed occupancy consistently above 130%.

Kanchumurti Eswar, a Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) member and RTI applicant, highlights the significant waiting list growth, increasing from 227 to 805 between April and December 2024. He points out that the current weekly schedule inconveniences pilgrims and tourists, particularly those visiting holy sites like Shirdi, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Gandhidham, who often wish to stay for several days but are forced to wait a week for the next train. The lack of direct flights on these routes exacerbates the problem.

Mr. Eswar advocates for increased train frequency, citing both passenger convenience and potential revenue gains for the Indian Railways. Visakhapatnam Junction, one of the top 20 stations in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, experiences a continuous rise in passenger numbers and revenue due to the city’s growing population. The current situation, he argues, fails to meet the needs of this rapidly expanding passenger base.

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