The Railway Ministry has finalised the operational launch of the new South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) headquartered in Visakhapatnam, with operations scheduled to begin on April one. The decision follows a period of technical evaluation and administrative planning and marks a major reorganisation of railway administration in Andhra Pradesh. The South Central Railway (SCR) will retain a reduced footprint following the change.\n\nThree divisions that were earlier under the South Central Railway will be integrated into the Visakhapatnam based zone, with Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal moving to SCoR. At the same time, the SCR will be limited to Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Nanded divisions. Railway authorities have submitted a comprehensive project report to the Railway Board (RB) covering divisional boundaries, financial allocation, revenue and expenditure assessment, operational management and staff redistribution, and preparations have accelerated after central government approval.\n\nSeveral route adjustments have been finalised as part of the reorganisation, including the 108 kilometre Raichur to Wadi stretch moving from Guntakal to Secunderabad division and the 142 kilometre stretches from Vishnupuram to Pagidipalli and Vishnupuram to Janpahad shifting from Guntur to Secunderabad. The 46 kilometre Motumarru to Kondapalli route will transfer from Secunderabad to Vijayawada division. Appointments of the general manager and key departmental heads for the new zone are being completed in phases while administrative control and technical coordination are being streamlined to avoid operational disruption.\n\nThe formation of the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone is expected to strengthen connectivity across coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema and to improve access to major ports such as Visakhapatnam Port and Krishnapatnam Port, which should enhance cargo movement and logistics efficiency. Officials indicate that the new zone could also pave the way for additional passenger train proposals and create employment opportunities, particularly for local youth through recruitment drives. Regional infrastructure planning may gain greater priority with administrative focus shifting to Visakhapatnam, and an official notification confirming operational details is expected shortly.