NE INFRASTRUCTURE BUREAU
NEW DELHI, MAY 5
In a landmark administrative restructuring, the Union Government has issued a gazette notification formally establishing the South Coast Railway Zone, with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters, marking a major overhaul in the Indian Railways network.
The new zone will come into effect from June 1, 2026, and will comprise the Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam divisions, significantly redrawing jurisdictional boundaries across southern railway corridors.
- Centre issues gazette, formally creating South Coast Railway Zone effective June 1, 2026
- Visakhapatnam designated headquarters; reshaping of divisions across East Coast and South Central Railways
- Major restructuring integrates Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam divisions under new zone
- Move fulfils Andhra Pradesh bifurcation promise, accelerates long-pending administrative realignment
The Ministry of Railways has reorganised existing divisions drawn from both the South Central Railway and East Coast Railway, integrating them into the newly created structure. While Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada divisions earlier functioned under South Central Railway, they will now operate under the South Coast Railway Zone.
The truncated Waltair division of East Coast Railway has been renamed as the Visakhapatnam division, which will now serve as the administrative core of the new zone.
The long-awaited decision fulfils a key commitment made during the 2014 bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, when the creation of a dedicated railway zone for the state was first promised. The South Coast Railway Zone was initially announced in 2019 but gained momentum after the **NDA government in Andhra Pradesh assumed office in 2024.
In January 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the South Coast Railway zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam, signalling accelerated progress on the project.
Major Jurisdictional Reorganisation
Under the new structure, the East Coast Railway headquartered in Bhubaneswar will now comprise the Sambalpur division, restructured Khurda Road division, and newly created Rayagada division.
The South Central Railway will retain Hyderabad and Nanded divisions, along with a reorganised Secunderabad division, which will absorb select route realignments.
Key operational changes include:
- Itchpuram–Palasa line moved to Visakhapatnam division
- Raichur–Wadi section transferred to Secunderabad division
- Pagidipalli–Vishnupuram line shifted to Secunderabad division
- Kondapalli–Motumari line moved under Vijayawada division
- Singapore Road–Vizianagaram section defined as boundary between Rayagada and Visakhapatnam divisions
Push for Faster Implementation
During the groundbreaking ceremony of the Google AI Data Centre in Visakhapatnam, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the notification would take effect from June 1, 2026.
On the same day, he and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed preparatory operations at the interim South Coast Railway Zone office located at the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA).
The Chief Minister has also urged further administrative fine-tuning, seeking integration of additional railway sections into the new zone to enhance operational efficiency.
With this notification, Indian Railways enters a new phase of regional realignment, aimed at improving governance, efficiency, and infrastructure responsiveness across one of the country’s fastest-growing corridors.
