South Coast Railway zone will begin operations from 1 June 2026 with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam

South Coast Railway zone will begin operations from 1 June 2026 with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam

¨     South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone will begin operations from 1 June 2026 with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam.

¨     The Ministry of Railways issued a gazette notification on 4 May 2026.

¨     SCoR has become the 18th railway zone of India.

¨     The new zone includes the existing Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada divisions of South Central Railway.

¨     The newly formed Visakhapatnam Division is also part of SCoR.

¨     The former Waltair Division was bifurcated for the new arrangement.

¨     A 696-km section became the Rayagada Division under East Coast Railway.

¨     The remaining 463-km section became the Visakhapatnam Division under South Coast Railway.

¨     The formation of SCoR is linked to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

¨     Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced its operationalisation on 29 April 2026.

¨     Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam in January 2025.

¨     Seven stations in the Palasa–Ichchapuram section were transferred from Khurda Division to the new Visakhapatnam Division.

¨     Railway zones function as the highest administrative units of Indian Railways.