South Coast Railway Zone to begin operations from April 1

South Coast Railway (SCoR), the new railway zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam, will commence full-fledged operations from April 1, according to railway sources.

The Railway Board announced the zone in 2019, but the gazette notification is still pending. Despite this, officials said the operational groundwork has gathered pace ahead of the new financial year.

SCoR will take charge of the Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal divisions from South Central Railway (SCR). It will also oversee the Visakhapatnam Division, created after the restructuring of the Waltair Division. Key sections of the Waltair network, including major freight corridors, have been reassigned to the East Coast Railway’s Rayagada Division.

The temporary zonal headquarters will function from VMRDA’s ‘The Deck’ building in Visakhapatnam. Officials confirmed that office space for the General Manager and core departments is ready. Construction of the permanent headquarters at Mudasarlova is underway.

Following the reorganisation, SCR will be left with Secunderabad, Hyderabad, and Nanded divisions. Its route length is expected to drop from 6,532 km to about 3,044 km. Officials also anticipate a hit from the loss of freight-heavy routes.

Railway sources indicated that a significant number of personnel from SCR headquarters in Secunderabad will move to Visakhapatnam as part of the transition.

During the recent Union Budget session, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the Ministry was expediting work related to the Visakhapatnam-headquartered zone.

Officials said SCoR will have around 17,000 employees across 18 departments. The zone is projected to handle more than 500 trains during peak seasons.

Railway authorities in Visakhapatnam said they were aware of the developments and are awaiting formal confirmation from higher authorities.