Railways showcase working locomotive models at Vizag fair

A three-day Visakha Rail Mela-2013 began here with the aim of creating awareness about the functioning of the railways.

The fair, organised by the East Coast Railway Women's Welfare Organisation, Waltair Division, was inaugurated by its president, Shalini Vishnoi, at the RPF Parade Ground.

East Coast Railway (ECoR) general manager Rajiv Vishnoi said the stalls would attract everyone.

"Railway people have put up (stalls) for public awareness. There are certain train models. How the train goes into the Araku valley. At first, small children would be enthusiastic to know and even elderly people would know how the train works," said Vishnoi.

People at the fair were seen taking a look at various stalls and saw several working models of trains too.

A working model of a diesel locomotive was also on display, which depicted a train passing through the hilly terrain of Araku.

The fair also saw various cultural events and cooking contest. With a 63,327-kilometre long network, the railways forms an integral part of Indian life, transporting over 18 million passengers and over 2 million tonnes of freight daily.

The world's second-fastest growing major economy is on a drive to improve its creaky infrastructure and boost rail connectivity between industrial hubs and major ports.