Demand for Almatti-Yadgir railway line in Karnataka to be placed before Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnav, V Somanna

A railway line between Almatti in Vijayapura district and Yadgir was planned in the 1930s during British rule. But the project was stalled after the freedom struggle gained momentum. 

The demand for a railway line from Almatti to Yadgir is coming to the fore again. 

The demand was raised recently by a delegation of the Almatti-Hunasagi-Yadgir Railway Horata Samiti during a meeting with Member of Parliament of Raichur G. Kumar Naik.

“We met Mr. Naik recently in Yadgir. He gave a positive response to our demand. He told us to accompany him to Delhi to meet Union Railway Ministers Ashwini Vaishnav and V. Somanna on December 9,” Chandrasekhar Dandin, president of the Samiti, told The Hindu.

A railway line between Almatti in Vijayapura district and Yadgir was planned in the 1930s during British rule. But the project was stalled after the freedom struggle gained momentum. 

The proposed 154-kilometre railway line is expected to straddle two major regions in Karnataka — Kittur Karnataka and Kalyan Karnataka — with halts in Almatti, Nidagundi, Muddebihal, Talikote, Hunsagi, Shorapur, Hattigudur, Wadagera, and Yadgir. This railway line is expected to boost the tourism sector in Vijayapura and Yadgir districts.

At present, the distance between Vijayapura and Yadgir by train is 328 kilometres with people compelled to travel via Hotagi, Kalaburagi, and Wadi. If the proposed line is laid, the distance will be reduced to approximately 165 km.

The proposed line is expected to reduce the distance between Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on the east coast and Goa on the west coast of India.