South Central Railway has proposed upgrading the Hyderabad-Vijayawada rail route to support speeds of 160 kmph, potentially reducing travel time to under three hours. This upgrade, part of a broader plan for the Golden Diagonal corridor, aims to create South India's first semi-high-speed corridor. The project, if approved, could be completed within two years and would benefit premium train services like Vande Bharat, while also increasing overall train capacity on busy routes.