Executing Rs 54,000 cr works with Rs 71,000 cr projects in pipeline: South Coast Railway

The South Coast Railway Zone administration said that within two months of its creation, it has emerged as one of the top-performing zones in the country, executing five new railway line projects and 24 multi-tracking works with an investment of over Rs 54,000 crore, while nearly Rs 71,000 crore worth of projects are in the pipeline.

The railway zone (SCoR) is constructing more than 300 Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) to improve safety and connectivity, it added.

"The Zone (SCoR) is presently executing five new railway line projects and 24 multi-tracking works, involving investments of approximately Rs 54,479 crore while projects worth nearly Rs 70,865 crore are in the pipeline," it said in a press release from the Vijayawada Railway Division on Thursday.


Further, the zone has secured several important project sanctions, including a Rs 300 crore Visakhapatnam Yard remodelling project, featuring six additional lines, six new platforms (Platform Numbers eight to 14), electronic interlocking and platform widening.

Likewise, the zone has also secured Rs 1,205-crore Guntakal-Ballari quadrupling project and Rs 20-crore crowd management facilities at Tirupati.

It has also commissioned important infrastructural works, encompassing yard remodelling at Narsapur-Vijayawada and Garudaballi-Visakhapatnam.

Other commissioned works include the expansion of the automatic block signalling in the Nellore-Telamanchi section, and the installation of Kavach (collision prevention system) on nearly 100 locomotives with the first 100-km Kavach section planned for commissioning by the end of 2026.

Operating from June 1, SCoR is establishing itself as one of the country's emerging railway zones by laying a strong foundation in infrastructure development, safety, passenger services and operational efficiency despite the challenges associated with setting up a new railway zone, said the press release.

The formation of the new zone involved building the organisation virtually from scratch, including the creation of infrastructure, manpower deployment, financial arrangements, budget allocation, redistribution of projects, establishment of control systems and implementation of operational rule books.

Today, the zone comprises four divisions, covering nearly 3,532 Route Kilometres (RKM) and 6,455 Track Kilometres (TKM).

It has an anticipated originating revenue of Rs 15,500 crore and freight loading exceeding 100 million tonnes annually, overseeing seven loco-sheds, three workshops, seven coaching depots and four freight depots, including serving four major ports.

Emphasising security, senior railway officials have inspected nearly 1,700 Route Kilometres (3,000 Track Kilometres) to assess infrastructure, understand public requirements, review ongoing works and strengthen safety standards across the network.

Despite the challenges associated with railway reorganisation, the zone has recorded impressive operational performance with originating passenger revenue of Rs 671 crore.

It handled 29.4 million originating passengers, registering an annual growth rate of three per cent and achieving overall originating earnings of Rs 2,493 crore, placing the zone among the top-performing railway zones in the country.

Further, the SCoR zone has also laid special attention on major public events, undertaking a dedicated review of railway arrangements for the forthcoming Godavari Pushkarams (Kumbh-Mela like pilgrimage) at Rajahmundry.

Passenger-centric development has gained significant momentum with the inauguration of three redeveloped Amrit Bharat Stations--Rayanapadu, Mangalagiri and Cumbum--while redevelopment works are progressing at 70 additional stations.

The South Coast Railway zone is also planning major infrastructure augmentation, including third and fourth railway lines and extensive yard remodelling at Simhachalam North and Renigunta to decongest the Visakhapatnam and Tirupati regions.

To meet passenger demand, the zone has converted four Train-on-Demand services into regular trains, operated 76 special trains carrying nearly 86,000 passengers, attached 408 additional coaches, and upgraded Simhadri Express and Guntur-Vikarabad Express from Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) coaches for enhanced passenger comfort and safety.

Enhancing passenger amenities, the zone has introduced sleeping pods at Vijayawada Railway Station and premium catering services through "Deccan Chai" at Visakhapatnam Railway Station, among other initiatives, the press release added.