With Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal divisions under its jurisdiction, the newly-announced South Coast Railway (SCoR) with headquarters in Visakhapatnam would become one of the premier zones in the country, Waltair Divisional Railway Manager Mukul Saran Mathur said on Wednesday.
Asked to comment on the announcement of the formation of the new zone, he said SCoR was in tune with the wishes of the people of Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Mathur said the zone would be operational at the earliest, adding the authorities had to consider the operational, technical and other factors while finalising the jurisdiction. Waltair division would be bifurcated, part of it going to Vijayawada division and the remaining to the newly announced Rayagada division. After bifurcation, Waltair division will cease to exist. Rayagada, Khurda and Sambalpur would be part of the East Coast Railway (ECoR). The South Central Railway would now comprise Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Nanded divisions.
Operational factor
Asked whether Kothavalasa-Kirandul line and Koraput-Rayagada line would go to the Rayagada division, he said everything would be finalised in due course of time, taking into consideration the operational convenience, availability of infrastructure and causing bare-minimum disruptions.
Mr. Mathur said SCoR would have substantial revenue from Vijayawada division as it handled 50 million tonnes prior to the formation of the new zone.
“Now, the holy place of Tirupati will come under SCoR as it is a part of the Guntakal division,” he added.
Infrastructure
He said, with the availability of robust infrastructure, the zone could function as early as possible. The zone’s headquarters could start at the headquarters of the erstwhile Waltair division pending construction of new buildings in the surplus lands available at Vadlapudi (123 acres ) and Mudasarlova (52 acres). The DRM congratulated the people on fulfilment of their demand.
