The bifurcation of the South Central Railway (SCR) and its reduction to three divisions from the current six by creating the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone – headquartered in Visakhapatnam (AP) – may finally take shape in the next few months. A formal notification announcing the new zone is likely to be issued by April 1, according to top railway sources.
With the restructuring, SCR will be left with Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Nanded divisions. The new SCoR zone will include Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal and Visakhapatnam (shortened Waltair division). Another part of the former Waltair division will be merged with the East Coast Railway (ECoR), creating a new Rayagada division alongside the existing Khurda Road and Sambalpur divisions.
Although Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently told Parliament that the creation of the new zone is a long-term process, the pace seems to have picked up after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to New Delhi and his meeting with the minister.
Despite the administrative split, the SCR will continue to cover 3,584 km, slightly more than the SCoR, which will have a route length of 3,436 km. Meanwhile, the heads of various departments are intensively discussing the distribution of assets and personnel. The latest move involves asking Group B officers to submit their choice of seats by March 2.
At SCR headquarters in Secunderabad, the number of sanctioned officers will be reduced from 234 to 152, with about 80 posts being transferred to SCoR. 128 jobs have been approved in the new zone, including around 50 to be redistributed from EKOR. Employees receiving transfer orders have been given 20 days to report to their new posting.
For non-registered staff, the SCR strength will be reduced from 2,900 to 1,940, with nearly 1,000 staff moving to SCoR. The new zone will also receive more than 125 jobs from EKOR. All field units in SCR’s three divisions that move to SCoR will fall under the new zone, with additional teams created as SCR and ECoR personnel are absorbed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones of both the SCoR headquarters in Visakhapatnam and the Rayagada divisional office earlier this year. While the new headquarters and other office buildings are under construction, officers and staff will work out of apartments, boarding houses and hotels. The zonal headquarters will temporarily function from the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) building until a permanent headquarters is ready next year, railway sources added.
Published – 17 Feb 2026 20:28 IST