What You Need to Know About the New South Coast Railway Zone in India

Introduction to the South Coast Railway Zone

The Indian government has officially announced the establishment of the South Coast Railway Zone, with its headquarters set in Visakhapatnam. This new zone is scheduled to commence operations on June 1, 2026, and will include the divisions of Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.

The Ministry of Railways has incorporated parts of the existing South Central Railway and East Coast Railway into this new zone.

Notably, Rayagada will be introduced as a new division under the East Coast Railway (ECoR).

The divisions of Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada, previously part of the South Central Railway, have been reorganized to fit into the new railway zone.

Additionally, the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway has been restructured and renamed as the Visakhapatnam division.

Background and Development

The creation of the South Coast Railway Zone was a commitment made during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

The announcement for this new railway zone was initially made by the government in 2019.

However, the administrative preparations gained momentum after the NDA government, led by N. Chandrababu Naidu, took office in 2024.

In January 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the South Coast Railway zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam.

According to the recent notification, the East Coast Railway, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, will now include the existing Sambalpur division, the reorganized Khurda Road division, and the new Rayagada division.

Operational Changes and New Boundaries

The existing Hyderabad and Nanded divisions, along with the reorganized Secunderabad division, will fall under the South Central Railway's jurisdiction.

The Itchpuram–Palasa railway line, which was previously part of the Khurda Road division, has been reassigned to the Visakhapatnam division. Similarly, the Raichur–Wadi section has been moved from the Guntakal Division to the Secunderabad Division.

The Pagidipalli–Vishnupuram line, once under the Guntur Division, will now be managed by the Secunderabad division, while the Kondapalli–Motumari line has been shifted to the Vijayawada division.

The boundary between the Rayagada and Visakhapatnam divisions will now be marked by the Singapore Road–Vizianagaram section.

During the groundbreaking ceremony for the Google AI Data Centre in Visakhapatnam on April 28, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the new railway zone would be officially notified starting June 1.

On the same day, Vaishnaw and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the operations of the South Coast Railway Zone and visited its temporary office at the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) office.

The Chief Minister urged the railway minister to consider implementing additional administrative changes, particularly by incorporating more sections into the newly formed South Coast Railway Zone.