The curious case of SCR’s twin stations Premium

Explore the intriguing world of SCR's twin stations, where identical names and distinct functions create unique commuter challenges.

South Central Railway (SCR) has the rare distinction of hosting pairs of “twin stations”- stations that share the same name, sit only a short distance apart, yet exist at different elevations and serve entirely different purposes.

The first of these doppelgangers lies on either side of Secunderabad: Lallaguda and Lallaguda Gate stations. Lallaguda Gate station, located on the Secunderabad-Malkajgiri-Nizamabad route, is a familiar halt for daily suburban commuters travelling between Malkajgiri-Medchal.

A little away, on the Secunderabad-Kazipet line, sits the other Lallaguda, a station with no train halts or commercial activity. It functions purely as an operational outpost, a signalling point that helps regulate the movement of trains across a busy corridor.

If the Lallaguda station twins are unusual, the Ammuguda duo pushes the envelope even further as both stations not only have the same name but also fall under the same Hyderabad Division.

The ‘older’ Ammuguda station, dating back to the Nizam State Railway and located on the Kacheguda-Nizamabad line, continues to serve as a regular halt for MMTS and suburban services towards Medchal, Secunderabad and Lingampally.

A new operating station, also called Ammuguda, was opened between Moula Ali and Sanatnagar stations when a chord line was built to bypass the busy Secunderabad junction station. This was for freight trains to move directly onto the Vikarabad-Mumbai route coming from the Kazipet side, according to top railway officials.