Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu poses for a photograph near the South Coast Railway Zone boundary plaque along the railway tracks at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district on Monday.

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The South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, India’s 18th railway zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam, officially commenced administrative operations on Monday, fulfilling a long-standing aspiration of the people of Andhra Pradesh that dates back more than four decades.The formal launch was marked by a ceremony at the A.S. Peta railway track near Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district, where Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu inaugurated the zone’s operations.To commemorate the occasion, Mr. Naidu unveiled the official SCoR name board, broke a ceremonial coconut and planted a sapling. Addressing the gathering, he described the inauguration as a landmark moment for the region and a testament to years of sustained public effort.Recalling his association with the movement for a separate railway zone, the Minister said he had participated in protests and even undertaken a hunger strike at Ichchapuram railway station to press for the demand.“Today, I am happy to witness the beginning of operations. With our own administrative structure in place, many regional railway issues can now be addressed more effectively,” he said.Mr. Naidu paid tribute to his father, the late Yerran Naidu, who, he said, had worked relentlessly for more than a decade to secure a railway zone for the region. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for their support in bringing the project to fruition.While the permanent headquarters is being developed at Mudasarlova in Visakhapatnam, the zone is currently operating from a temporary office at the VMRDA’s ‘The Deck’ building in Siripuram.Headed by General Manager Sandeep Mathur, the SCoR will oversee a rail network spanning 3,532 route kilometres and manage a workforce of more than 62,000 employees. The zone comprises four divisions — Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal.The operationalisation of the South Coast Railway Zone is expected to facilitate faster decision-making, improve infrastructure planning and execution, and provide a significant boost to the economic development of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Published - June 01, 2026 08:28 pm IST