The Centre has officially established the South Coast Railway Zone, with Visakhapatnam designated as its headquarters, through a gazette notification. Effective from June 1, 2026, this new railway zone encompasses the Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam divisions. Notably, some areas previously under the South Central Railway and East Coast Railway have been incorporated into this newly formed zone.
The existing Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada divisions of the South Central Railway have been reorganized and integrated into the structure of the South Coast Railway Zone. Additionally, the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway has been renamed as the Visakhapatnam division and restructured as part of this development.
Originally pledged during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the establishment of the South Coast Railway Zone, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, was first announced by the Centre in 2019. Subsequent to the assumption of office by the N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government in 2024, efforts towards the administrative setup of the new zone were accelerated.
In line with the gazette notification, the East Coast Railway, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, will now consist of the existing Sambalpur division, the reorganized Khurda Road division, and the newly formed Rayagada division. Furthermore, the South Central Railway will oversee the existing Hyderabad and Nanded divisions, along with the reorganized Secunderabad division.
