Visakhapatnam Division In Place Of Waltair In The South Coast Railway Zone

The rail division in Visakhapatnam will finally see an end to the long wait for a replacement after efforts from the coalition government. The Railway Department is now reportedly considering setting up a Visakhapatnam division after the successive defeats over complete dissolution of the Waltair Division. Initially, the three divisions of Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal were supposed to be the part of the new zone. The Visakhapatnam Division will also be included now with the new decision. The Zone Special Officer (OSD) has been asked to draft a Detailed Project Report (DPR) which will reflect all these changes. The board will finalize it in the near future.

Structure of the Visakhapatnam Division

Regions of Odisha which belonged to the Waltair Division, have already been placed under a new division with its head at Rayagada. The balance areas will be merged with the Vijayawada Division. The newly proposed Visakhapatnam Division would cover some major sections including:

  • Palasa-Visakhapatnam-Duvvada
  • Kuneru-Vizianagaram-Naupada-Parlakhemundi
  • Bobbili-Saluru
  • Simhachalam North-Duvvada Bypass
  • Vadlapudi-Duvvada
  • Visakhapatnam Steel Plant-Jaggayyapalem

These stretches add up to a total of 410 km. Sections like Kothavalasa-Bacheli/Kirandole, Kuneru-Theruvali, Singapore Road-Koraput, and Parlakhemundi-Gunupur amounting to 680 km will be under the Rayagada Division in the East Coast Railway Zone.

Four Divisions in the New Zone

The erstwhile South Coast Railway Zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam comprised of only Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal divisions. There will be four divisions in the new set up:

  • South Coast Railway Zone: Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal divisions.
  • South Central Railway Zone (Secunderabad HQ): Secunderabad, Hyderabad, and Nanded divisions.
  • East Coast Railway Zone: Khurda Road, Sambalpur, and Rayagada divisions.

Territorial Realignments

There have been several boundary changes in the railway zones:

  • 250 km from the South Coast Railway Zone are being transferred to the South Central Railway Zone.
  • 46 km from the South Central Zone are being integrated into the South Coast Zone.

Specific adjustments include:

  • 108 km of Raichur-Wadi in Guntakal Division will be shifted to Secunderabad Division. This section is an important interchange point for several zones as it deals with the transportation of coals for the thermal power stations of Raichur.
  • 142 km of routes of Vishnupuram-Pagadipalli and Vishnupuram-Janpahad will be shifted from Guntur Division to Secunderabad Division which will enable coal transportation from Singareni coal mines to the Yadadri thermal power station.
  • The 46 km Kondapalli-Motumarri section near Vijayawada will be transferred from the Secunderabad Division to the Vijayawada Division, thus making it fully covered under the South Coast Zone.

Revised DPR and Future Prospects

The new orders have also called for the revision of the DPR for the South Coast Railway Zone. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone for the new zone offices in Visakhapatnam. Once the DPR is ready, it will include:

  • Total line and track kilometers coming under the jurisdiction of the zone.
  • The stations covered.
  • Staff strength and their administration.

The present DRM of Waltair Division will take over as DRM of the new Visakhapatnam Division. The South Coast Railway Zone will also get a General Manager shortly.

Loss of the KK Line would impact revenue

The KK line has been a huge revenue earner for the Waltair Division, and it is now going to be part of the Rayagada Division. Almost half of the annual freight revenue of Waltair was Rs. 10,000 crores, earned from iron ore transportation on the Visakhapatnam-Kirandole route. The transfer of the Kothavalasa-Bacheli/Kirandole section would mean a significant loss in revenue for the Visakhapatnam Division.

A Long-Standing Demand Finally Realized

There has been a long-felt need for a railway zone headquareted in Visakhapatnam. It was made a votive promise during the state bifurcation in 2014, but it did not come into being even after so many years. Just before the 2019 general elections, the central government declared the South Coast Railway Zone. Later on, subsequent plans are to omit the Waltair Division. With Prime Minister Modi laying the foundation stone for the zone office and the new orders to amend the DPR, the long-awaited Visakhapatnam-centered zone is finally to be a reality.