Kakinada-Mysore Express: Andhra's New Political Leverage

Kakinada Mysore Railways Andhra Pradesh Politics

May 1, 20263 min readAsia

Kakinada-Mysore Express: Andhra's New Political Leverage

Kakinada gains permanent rail link to Mysore, reshaping politics.

Kakinada-Mysore Express Signals Andhra’s New Leverage

The Kakinada-Mysore flag-off turns a temporary rail link into a permanent political asset, showing how Delhi is rewarding secondary-city demand in Andhra Pradesh.

Kakinada is the immediate winner. The flagging off of a Mysore-bound express from Kakinada gives coastal Andhra Pradesh a direct, visible interstate link into Karnataka and converts what had been a “special” service into a more durable public good for the district. That matters less as a transport ceremony than as a signal of who is getting attention from the Railways and New Delhi right now. Mysore-bound express train flagged off from Kakinada - The Hindu

Delhi is converting rail services into local political capital

The flag-off follows a broader Ministry of Railways decision to regularise four Kakinada-linked services — to Mysore, Lingampalli, Hisar, and the Kakinada Port–Rajamahendravaram MEMU — after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Kakinada MP Tangella Uday Srinivas that the trains would begin operating regularly from April 2026. That is the real power move: Delhi is taking trains that began as specials and turning them into permanent constituency assets. Ministry of Railways regularises four express trains from Kakinada city

This is not an isolated concession. On April 22, 2026, South Central Railway also upgraded the Kakinada Town–Lingampalli Express from a thrice-weekly service to a daily one and added a halt at Samalkot, again improving Kakinada’s standing in the regional rail map. SCR to run Kakinada Town-Lingampally-Kakinada Town as daily service

For policymakers tracking India, the pattern is clear: secondary Andhra cities that can organize political pressure and demonstrate demand are extracting regular services from the Railway Board.

Who benefits — and who is being left behind

The beneficiaries are concrete: Kakinada passengers, the local MP, and the Railway Ministry, which can package connectivity as delivery. The commercial case is not trivial either. In the surrounding rail economy, Waltair Railway Division reported 30.58 million passengers, up 10% year-on-year through November 2025, alongside ₹9,030 crore in freight revenue and 73.5 million tonnes of loading. That gives the Railways a demand backdrop for converting ad hoc trains into regular ones. Waltair Railway Division struck a purple patch in 2025

The relative loser is Visakhapatnam. Rail users there are still demanding a direct originating Vizag–Bengaluru express, arguing that smaller cities such as Kakinada and Machilipatnam have secured originating Karnataka-bound services while Vizag has not. That makes the Kakinada flag-off more than a local rail story: it shows how service allocation is reshaping political hierarchies inside coastal Andhra. Rail users demand direct Vizag-Bengaluru express train

What to watch next

Watch the follow-through, not the ceremony. The next test is whether the Mysore service gets stable rake allocation, punctual scheduling, and sustained occupancy — and whether the Railway Board applies the same logic to other Andhra–Karnataka demands, especially Visakhapatnam–Bengaluru. If more “specials” are regularised in the coming timetable cycle, Kakinada’s gain will look less like a one-off and more like a model for how rail patronage now works in Indian politics.

Originally published by The Hindu.

Sources (13)

SCR to run Kakinada Town-Lingampally-Kakinada Town as daily service - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Changes in train services due to work at Hassan yard - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Tirupati-bound Humsafar Express flagged off from Srikakulam - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Mysuru-Belagavi Vishwamanava Express to get LHB coaches from April 26 - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Talguppa–Mysuru Express gets modern LHB rake - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Waltair Railway Division struck a purple patch in 2025 - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Ministry of Railways regularises four express trains from Kakinada city - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Rail users demand direct Vizag-Bengaluru express train - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Direct train to Hyderabad from Srikakulam on the cards, says Ram Mohan Naidu - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Special unreserved express trains between Mysuru and Nanjangud - The Hindu

thehindu.com

SCR announces additional Sankranti Special trains, available between January 8 and 12 - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Secunderabad–Anakapalli specials regularised as weekly express trains - The Hindu

thehindu.com

Godavari Express wins best maintained train award during SCR Railway Week - The Hindu

thehindu.com

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