Amaravati, May 31 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has hailed the inauguration of South Coastal Railway Zone as a historic milestone and said that decades-long dream of people is being realised.

“The inauguration of the South Coast Railway Zone, centred in Visakhapatnam, starting from June 1, marks a historic milestone. Our decades-long dream is being realized,” Chandrababu Naidu posted on ‘X’ on Sunday.

“The new railway zone will comprehensively transform the transportation landscape of North Andhra. It will pave the way for new employment opportunities and industrial growth. This is a key milestone in transforming our state into a logistics hub,” he said.

The Chief Minister on behalf of the people, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for fulfilling the long-standing aspiration of the people of Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre early this month issued a gazette notification establishing the South Coast Railway Zone, with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters.

The new railway zone, which will come into effect from June 1, 2026, comprises Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam divisions.

The Ministry of Railways included some of the existing area under South Central Railway and East Coast Railway into the new zone.

Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada are existing divisions of South Central Railway and they have been re-organsied and made part of the new railway zone.

The truncated Waltair division of East Coast Railway has been renamed as Visakhapatnam division and re-organised.

The new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh was promised at the time of the state’s bifurcation in 2014.

The creation of South Coast Railway Zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam was originally announced by the Centre in 2019.

However, work on the administrative aspects of the new zone was expedited after the N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government assumed office in the state in 2024.

In January 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the South Coast Railway zonal headquarters in Visakhapatnam.

–IANS

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