Railway minister Suresh Prabhu announced a number of major railway projects for the state. These include a high-speed rail line between new capital Amaravati and Bengaluru.

After 3 hrs of meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Prabhu said: "It is incumbent upon us do as much as possible in this regard."   

The foreign collaborator would be decided after talks with different countries, he said.

"I held talks with French officials yesterday but that was only a preliminary meeting. We will talk with other countries as well and choose a partner," Prabhu added.

He also added that a  Special Purpose Vehicle would be formed by the Railways with AP government in a couple of months. This will help for taking up major rail projects in the state.

The Minister added, "Through the proposed SPV, 21 railway stations in AP will be redeveloped as (on the lines of) airports. The South Central Railway General Manager will coordinate with the state government in this regard and review the works every month."

He announced the investment of Rs 1,000 crore for setting up two new railway workshops at Kurnool and Tirupati and a waggon overhaul facility at Visakhapatnam. He said these facilities would create hundreds of jobs.

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By M. Divya Shri