Much-awaited SCoR to roll out on June 1

Visakhapatnam: The much-awaited new South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR), headquartered in Visakhapatnam, is set to commence its operations from June 1.

Considered a major milestone, railway authorities have accelerated preparations to ensure the smooth launch of the new zone which is expected to play a crucial role in strengthening rail connectivity, freight transportation and regional development across Andhra Pradesh.

Envisioned as a long-standing aspiration of the people of Andhra Pradesh following the state’s bifurcation in 2014, the South Coast Railway Zone marks a significant administrative reorganisation in the Indian Railways.

Back in 2019, the Union government announced the creation of the zone and after several stages of planning and restructuring, the new railway zone is getting ready to start its formal operations. The ministry of railways recently issued a gazette notification confirming that the zone will become operational from June 1.

The new zone will oversee an extensive railway track network spanning 6,454 kilometres, including double-line and triple-line sections. While official operations are set to commence from June 1, administrative formalities are in the final stages of completion, including demarcation of boundaries, staff allocations, station jurisdiction adjustments, and the preparation of the official zonal railway map.

Under the new administrative structure, the Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal divisions, which were previously part of South Central Railway, will now function under the South Coast Railway Zone.

Waltair Division which falls under East Coast Railway has been renamed Visakhapatnam Division and continues as part of the SCoR.

Apparently, the SCoR zone comprises four divisions and is one of the strategically important railway zones in the country. The zone will administer 385 railway stations and be supported by a workforce of nearly 62,000 employees across the four divisions. At the zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam, 128 gazetted officers and around 1,100 non-gazetted officers will monitor operations and administration. Annually, railway officials estimate that the zone will handle nearly 100 million tonnes of freight. Given Andhra Pradesh’s growing industrial base and the presence of major ports along the coast, freight movement is expected to increase substantially in the coming years.

Besides, the new zone is anticipated to enhance operational efficiency, improve coordination between divisions and facilitate faster transportation of coal, minerals, fertilizers, petroleum products and other industrial cargo.

As part of the preparatory measures, The Deck building of the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) was allotted as the zone’s temporary headquarters last October. Subsequently, General Manager Sandeep Mathur and other senior railway officials were appointed, enabling preliminary administrative activities to begin from December 2025.

With the completion of key organisational arrangements, the South Coast Railway Zone is now poised to begin its official journey, ushering in a new chapter in the railway development of Andhra Pradesh and placing Visakhapatnam as a major transportation and logistics hub on the eastern coast map. However, railway union leaders forecast that it would take a minimum of 12 months for the SCoR to become fully operational in terms of complete infrastructure and staffing.