By The Indian Railways system is making some changes to how it works. Recently, there has been some confusion about which stations belong to a newly created group. This new group is called the South Coast Railway Zone, and its main office is going to be located in the city of Visakhapatnam. Many people, especially passengers and workers, had questions and worries about what this means for their local train stations. To stop any false rumors and solve this confusion, the Ministry of Railways gave a clear and simple explanation on April sixth.
The main worry was about a specific group of stations. Some people thought these stations were going to be taken away from one state and given to another. The railway officials explained that this is not true. They talked about a fifty-kilometer long railway line called the Palasa to Ichchapuram section. There are seven small stations on this track. Their names are Palasa, Summadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi, and Ichchapuram. The government clarified that every single one of these seven stations is located inside the Srikakulam district, which is in the state of Andhra Pradesh. None of these stations are inside the borders of the nearby state of Odisha.
Metro Rail Limited shared some very positive news. They expect this giant drilling machine to finally break through the wall at the Kellys station very soon. They believe this exciting moment will happen in the middle of May. This is a very important step for the Phase Two project of the Chennai Metro. When the machine breaks through the wall, it means the underground tunnel for this section is fully complete.
Some people also worried that this change would cause a big money loss for the old railway zone, which is named the East Coast Railway. The officials said there is no need to worry. The seven stations mentioned earlier are mostly small or medium-sized places. Most of the time, they are just used by normal people traveling to work or visiting family. These small stations do not handle large shipments of heavy goods or coal. Because they do not load big freight trains, the income of the East Coast Railway will stay the same and remain completely safe.
Another big question was whether trains carrying goods would be delayed because they have to cross from one zone to another. The railway authorities promised that goods trains will pass through the areas just like they always did. It does not matter if a train crosses an imaginary line between two different zones. The whole system is connected smoothly, so businesses will not face any problems transporting their goods.
Passengers were very concerned about their daily travel. They asked if their regular trains would be canceled or if the travel times would change. The government gave a very comforting answer. They promised that all the current passenger trains will keep running normally. This includes popular local trains that run from Palasa to Bhubaneswar, Palasa to Cuttack, and Ichchapuram to Cuttack. The routes will stay exactly the same. Also, the time the train arrives and the number of times it runs in a week will not be changed at all.
So, why did the government make this change if everything seems to be staying the same? The railway bosses explained that this is mainly an administrative adjustment. By putting these stations under the Visakhapatnam division, they believe they can manage the paperwork and the workers much better. This means that if a station needs cleaning or repairs, the local office can handle it faster and more efficiently.
Finally, the government talked about the railway workers who are feeling stressed about this new plan. They are currently deciding the rules for transferring staff from the old zone to the new South Coast zone. The authorities guaranteed that the rights and the service conditions of all employees will be protected. Nobody will lose their benefits or their job level. The government also reminded everyone that they are spending a lot of money to improve the railways in Odisha, building better stations and adding faster trains like the Vande Bharat Express.
Indian Railways has clarified concerns regarding the new South Coast Railway Zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam. The Ministry of Railways confirmed that station jurisdictions, train operations, and freight movement will remain unchanged. This administrative restructuring aims to improve efficiency without impacting passengers, revenue, or employee conditions.
