The Ministry of Railways has issued a clarification regarding concerns over certain stations included in the newly created South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, stating that there will be no impact on operations, revenue, or services.
The ministry said the South Coast Railway Zone has been newly created with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam, and clarified the “factual position” regarding the inclusion of stations in the zone.
It stated that the Palasa-Ichchapuram section, spanning around 50 Km, consists of seven stations — Palasa, Summadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi and Ichchapuram — all of which are situated in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
“None of these stations is located within Odisha,” the ministry said.
According to the clarification, these stations are “small to mid-sized stations handling primarily passenger traffic” and “none of them is a major freight loading point,” adding that “therefore, ECoR’s revenue remains unaffected.”
The ministry further stated that pass-through freight traffic will continue without disruption, noting that trains transiting through these stations en route will operate “regardless of which zone’s jurisdiction the stations fall under.”
It emphasised that “railway operations are seamless across zonal boundaries.”
On passenger services, the ministry said there will be “no disruption to train services,” adding that all existing trains, including Palasa-Bhubaneswar, Palasa-Cuttack, and Ichchapuram-Cuttack MEMU and passenger services, will continue to operate “without any change in schedule, route, or frequency.”
The inclusion of these stations is “a technical revision to ensure smooth functioning of the passenger services in Vishakapatnam division”, according to the ministry.
The ministry added that modalities of the transfer, including staff deployment, are being finalised between East Coast Railway (ECoR) and South Coast Railway (SCoR).
The ministry further assured that “the interests and service conditions of all railway employees will be fully protected as per established norms.”
Reiterating its position on Odisha, the ministry said the “government’s commitment to Odisha is unwavering,” citing record capital expenditure on railway network expansion in the state, station modernisation, Vande Bharat services, and the newly created Rayagada Division under ECoR as evidence.
