Changes

The '''Karepalli-Kothagudem Railway''' was a broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) line that opened in 1927 1926 as part of [[Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway]](NGSR).

The ‘Karepalli-Kothagudium’ was a branch railway feeding from the collieries in the [[Singareni Coal Fields Railway|Singareni coalfields]] near Kothagudiam ''(see Spelling Note )'' to Karepalli where there was a junction with the NGSR between Manuguru and [[Dornakal]]. The length of the line was 24½ miles(39km) with an intermediary station at Tadkalpudi, which was request only. Although opened to passenger traffic its primary use was to access the coal fields that had been opened at Chatakonda <ref name=IOR>Brtitish Library ‘India Office Records’ “R/2/71/90 Policy of the Government of India in regard to the construction and maintenance of Railways in Indian States. Jurisdiction over the Karepalli- Kothagudium Railway”</ref>. It was a broad-gauge ([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]) line to give connection to the NGSR system at Karepalli. The branch was inspected on the 20th of February 1926 and opened on the 1st of April. It only crossed one river using a girder bridge. There was some confusion as to policing the new line as although built and operated by the NGSR it connected to British India Railways and therefore was expected to fall under British India Jurisdiction so that the continuity of standards and security could be met. This had been agreed in 1923 <ref name=IOR/> by the ‘Chamber of Princess’ <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_of_Princes Wikipedia “Chamber of Princes” ]; Retrieved 14 Oct 2017</ref>. There was also a proposal that it might be continued to [[Bhadrachalam]], a place of pilgrimage on the British side of the different spellings Godaveri River <ref name=IOR/>. This railway extension was not constructed, and the 25 mile(40km) link to [[Bhadrachalam]] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhadrachalam Wikipedia “Bhadrachalam”]; Retrieved 14 Oct 2017</ref> is nowadays provided by a bus service from the station at Kothagudiam, referred to as Bhadrachalam Road <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhadrachalam_Road_railway_station Wikipedia “Bhadrachalam Road Railway Station”]; Retrieved 14 Oct 2017</ref>.  ''Spelling Note'' :* 'Kothagudium' is the town name in use up to the 1950’s. Kothagudem, is the modern name. Kothagudamis used in error in some documents. * 'Karepalli' is the only railway junction in Khammam district in Telangana, Kothagudiumwhere the railway track from Singareni collieries meets Manuguru-Dornakal railway line <ref>[https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Karepalli Wikipedia “Karepalli"]; Retrieved 10 Oct 2017</ref>* None of these spellings occur in "The Imperial Gazetteer".''

An on-line search of the [[India Office Records]] (IOR) records held at the [[British Library]] relating to this railway <ref>[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=IAMS_VU2 “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search]; Retrieved 8 Apr 201614 Oct 2017</ref>gives the following:-