South Coast Railway Zone fulfils long-cherished dream of North Coastal Andhra
Amaravati, June 1 (IANS) The South Coast Railway (SCoR), India’s 18th railway zone, with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, officially commenced operations on Monday, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of the people of North Coastal Andhra, a region that has long sought dedicated railway administration and infrastructure development.
The setting up of the new zone, which spans Andhra Pradesh and parts of neighbouring Telangana and Tamil Nadu, has finally fulfilled a decades-old aspiration of the people.
Comprising the railway divisions of Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal, the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone is expected to improve connectivity and freight transportation in the region through the expansion of railway infrastructure, create new employment opportunities and ensure balanced regional development.
The SCoR has been formed through the reorganisation of parts of the erstwhile South Central Railway (SCR) and East Coast Railway (ECoR) zones.
With 385 railway stations under its network, the South Coast Railway Zone will have 62,000 staff members and annual revenue of approximately Rs 15,500 crore. During the operational season, it is expected to handle more than 500 passenger trains and 800 goods trains.
The new zone is also expected to improve cargo movement and multimodal logistics as it connects major ports such as Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Krishnapatnam, Kakinada and the upcoming Mulapeta Port.
The Centre on May 5 issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway Zone.
Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada, which were divisions of the South Central Railway, have been reorganised and made part of the new railway zone. The truncated Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway has been renamed the Visakhapatnam Division and reorganised.
The official commencement of operations of the South Coast Railway Zone brought cheer to people across the region. Leaders cutting across party lines hailed the development and described it as a historic milestone for Andhra Pradesh in general and North Coastal Andhra in particular.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, one of the prominent leaders from the region, visited various railway stations in Srikakulam district along with local MLAs on Monday to celebrate the occasion.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader shared the joy with local residents at meetings organised on railway platforms.
“The commencement of the South Coast Railway Zone is an emotional and long-cherished dream fulfilled for the people of Andhra Pradesh, especially Uttarandhra,” he had earlier posted on X.
“Today was a truly special moment as I witnessed the welcome plaque of the South Coast Railway Zone along the tracks near Ichchapuram, symbolising the beginning of a new chapter in our region’s development journey. On this historic occasion, I also planted saplings near the welcome board, marking this milestone,” he said.
Ram Mohan Naidu’s uncle and State Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu believes that the South Coast Railway Zone will transform the transportation landscape of North Andhra and pave the way for new employment opportunities.
At the time of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the then Congress-led UPA government had promised a new railway zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.
However, it was only in 2019 that the Central government announced the creation of the new zone and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared.
Work relating to the administrative aspects of the new zone was expedited only after the N. Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government assumed office in the state in 2024.
In January 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the South Coast Railway Zonal Headquarters in Visakhapatnam at a cost of Rs 149 crore.
The headquarters have been temporarily established at the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) office.
In June 2025, the Centre appointed Sandeep Mathur as the General Manager of the South Coast Railway Zone.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, during his visit to Visakhapatnam in April, reviewed the operations of the South Coast Railway Zone along with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
According to state BJP President PVN Madhav, who hails from Visakhapatnam, the people’s movement for a separate railway zone began in the 1980s.
The former MLC recalled that during his college days, he actively participated in agitations demanding a separate railway zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the zone, he said that over the years BJP workers, public representatives, railway employees’ associations and various people’s organisations had relentlessly fought for this aspiration.
Madhav recalled that as part of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising the BJP and other political parties, they submitted multiple representations to successive Railway Ministers and Central governments.
A massive Rail Roko agitation was organised by the BJP at Visakhapatnam Railway Station on March 20, 2010.
“The roots of this demand go back several decades. When the South Central Railway Zone was formed, most Telugu-speaking regions were shifted from Southern Railway headquartered in Chennai. However, the strategically important Waltair Division remained under the South Eastern Railway headquartered in Kolkata. Despite repeated representations, issues such as inadequate railway infrastructure, limited employment opportunities, delays in introducing new trains and overcrowded services remained unresolved,” he said.
“In 1997, the Congress-supported United Front government laid the foundation for the East Coast Railway Zone headquartered in Bhubaneswar, and the Waltair Division was subsequently brought under it.
“However, concerns regarding neglect of Andhra Pradesh’s interests, discrimination in recruitment opportunities and inadequate attention to passenger and employee welfare further strengthened the demand for a separate railway zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam,” he said.
He believes that the South Coast Railway Zone will significantly improve railway logistics, freight movement, industrial connectivity, employment generation and passenger services.
It will serve as a catalyst for the economic transformation of North Coastal Andhra and further strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s contribution to India’s growth story.
–IANS
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