The Centre has issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway Zone, with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.
The new railway zone will come into effect from June 1, 2026, with the Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada divisions coming under its purview.
Though the creation of a separate railway zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam was originally announced by the Centre in 2019 in response to Andhra Pradesh’s demand following its bifurcation in 2014, it did not materialise. Work on the administrative aspects of the new zone gained momentum after the N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government assumed office in the State in 2024.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the zonal headquarters building in Visakhapatnam.
Published on May 5, 2026