Formation of South Coast Railway Zone

• The Government of India is set to officially notify the South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) on June 1, 2026.

• Its headquarters will be established in Visakhapatnam. This new zone will become the 18th zone of Indian Railways and will reorganize railway administration in Andhra Pradesh under a new structural framework.

• This zone will incorporate the Guntakal, Guntur, and Vijayawada divisions, which currently fall under the South Central Railway.

• Additionally, a new Visakhapatnam division has been created, which was previously part of the Waltair division of the East Coast Railway.

• The formation of this zone received *ex post facto* approval from the Union Cabinet on February 7, 2025—meaning that a decision taken earlier was subsequently granted formal ratification.