The Railway Board’s recent decision to transfer a 50 km segment of the Palasa-Ichchapuram line from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to the newly established South Coast Railway (SCoR) has sparked a rare alignment between the ruling BJP and opposition BJD in Odisha. Both parties are calling for the reversal of this decision, citing concerns about its potential impact on ECoR’s revenue, which is vital for the state.<\/p>\n
The Railway Board argues that the seven stations along the Palasa-Ichchapuram segment are not located within Odisha and are primarily small to medium-sized facilities focused on passenger services. Furthermore, the Board notes that these stations do not serve as significant freight handling sites. This particular stretch is situated in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and has previously been under the jurisdiction of ECoR’s Khurda Road division.<\/p>\n
The opposition arises from worries about the reduction in ECoR’s operational area, an issue that has surfaced frequently since the establishment of SCoR. ECoR, based in Bhubaneswar, is recognized as the most productive cargo and revenue zone within the Indian Railways system, often labeled a \u201cblue-chip\u201d zone. In the fiscal year 2025-26, ECoR was responsible for transporting 286 million tonnes of freight, contributing over 17% to the total freight movement across the Railways. Other zones with comparable performance include the South East Central Railway (SECR), South Eastern Railway (SER), and East Central Railway (ECR).<\/p>\n
Freight operations are crucial for Indian Railways, with approximately 65% of its revenue generated from this sector. ECoR, in particular, boasts over 90% of its income from goods transportation. The zone encompasses a lengthy coastal corridor abundant in minerals and natural resources. Its Khurda Road division is home to the Talcher coal loading hub, the largest of its kind in Asia, facilitating coal transport to NTPC’s thermal power plants in Talcher and Kaniha as well as other power facilities in southern and western India.<\/p>\n
Additionally, this division includes the Paradeep Railway station, which supports the Paradeep port and its associated industries, delivering a range of goods such as coal, iron pellets, fertilizers, and more. The division also serves major steel manufacturers like Tata Steel and Jindal Stainless Ltd., reinforcing its economic importance. Given the high freight loading capabilities of the entire zone, political parties in Odisha are opposing the decision to reduce its size.<\/p>\n
The Railway Board has stated that the newly formed SCoR, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, is making this adjustment to enhance passenger service efficiency within its Visakhapatnam division. The seven stations involved\u2014Palasa, Summadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi, and Ichchapuram\u2014are all located within Andhra Pradesh\u2019s Srikakulam district.<\/p>\n
The Board emphasized that these stations primarily manage passenger traffic and that ECoR’s revenue would remain stable. Freight traffic passing through these stations will continue without interruption, irrespective of the administrative zone. All current services, including the Palasa-Bhubaneswar and Ichchapuram-Cuttack trains, will maintain their schedules, routes, and frequencies, the Board confirmed.<\/p>\n
Regarding the administrative transition, the Board assured that discussions on staff deployment and operational details between ECoR and SCoR are ongoing, with full protection of employee interests and conditions promised as per standard practices.<\/p>\n
The establishment of SCoR traces back to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, which resulted in the creation of Telangana. While there was a longstanding demand for a separate railway zone for Andhra Pradesh, it was realized only after a collaborative effort between state and national authorities. The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the national level.<\/p>\n
On February 7, 2025, the Union Cabinet granted post-facto approval for the establishment of SCoR, marking it as the 18th Indian Railways zone. The restructuring involved dividing ECoR’s former Waltair division, allocating approximately 410 km to Visakhapatnam and renaming the remaining 680 km as the Rayagada division, discarding its colonial name.<\/p>\n
SCoR encompasses a significant expanse of Andhra Pradesh and includes sections of Telangana and Tamil Nadu. In addition to the Visakhapatnam division, it comprises divisions for Vijayawada and Guntur, inherited from the South Central Railway.<\/p>\n
The BJD has alleged a continuous \u201cconspiracy\u201d aimed at undermining ECoR, while the Railway Board counters that substantial investments in railway infrastructure, including network expansions and modernization efforts, demonstrate its commitment to Odisha.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Railway Board’s recent decision to transfer a 50 km segment of the Palasa-Ichchapuram line from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) to the newly established South Coast Railway (SCoR) has sparked a rare alignment between the ruling BJP and opposition BJD in Odisha. Both parties are calling for the reversal of this decision, citing concerns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4438,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[154,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-explained","category-india"],"yoast_head":"\n