South Central Railway (SCR) is preparing to open a new chord line to reduce crowding at Secunderabad station and speed up trains going towards Kacheguda. This follows the completion of doubling and electrification work between Sitaphalmandi and Lallaguda stations. The new chord line allows trains coming from Kazipet via the Moula Ali route to directly reach Kacheguda, avoiding Secunderabad and Malkajgiri stations. Officials say this will cut delays and improve on-time performance, especially for long-distance express and superfast trains linking north and south. The chord line has two sections: a 1.80 km double line between Lallaguda and Sitaphalmandi ‘B’ cabin, and a 1 km stretch between Sitaphalmandi ‘B’ and ‘A’ cabins. Signalling works are ongoing, after which the section will open for use. Officials say the route will save up to 30 minutes by avoiding a long 15 km detour through Malkajgiri and Lallaguda Gate. The project also included extending the road under bridge at the busy Alugaddabavi junction, done with help from traffic police and GHMC. Once open, the line will smooth train movements on routes from Kazipet to Kacheguda and from Kacheguda to Mahabubnagar, SCR’s Chief Public Relations Officer A. Sridhar said. Currently, trains from Kazipet on the Cherlapalli–Moula Ali line must make a right turn through Malkajgiri and Sitaphalmandi to reach the Kacheguda–Bengaluru route. The new line lets them turn left at Lallaguda to Sitaphalmandi and then connect directly to Kacheguda. Meanwhile, SCR is also working on a bigger bypass project: a 12 km double line with electrification between existing single lines at Sitaphalmandi and Moula Ali. The Sitaphalmandi–Malkajgiri section is done, and the 6 km Malkajgiri to Moula Ali stretch is under construction. This full link will further improve train operations, especially for suburban MMTS services.