Shedding Colonial Legacy: South Coast Railway's Waltair Division To Be Retained In Truncated Form, Renamed As Vishakhapatnam Division

In a significant decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Union Cabinet has granted its ex-post facto approval for the partial modification of a previous Cabinet resolution dated 28 February 2019, concerning the Waltair Railway Division.

The key decisions include retaining the Waltair division in a truncated form and renaming it as the Vishakhapatnam division.

This restructuring will see the Waltair division, which spans around 410 km, continue to serve regions between the stations of Palasa-Vishakhapatnam-Duvvada, Kuneru-Vizianagaram, Naupada Jn-Paralakhemundi, Bobbili Jn-Salur, Simhachalam North-Duvvada bypass, Vadalapudi-Duvvada, and Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant-Jaggayapalem.

It will now operate under the new South Coast Railway, shedding its colonial legacy by adopting the new name, Vishakhapatnam division.

Furthermore, the remaining parts of the Waltair division, which cover around 680 kilometers between Kottavalasa-Bacheli, Kuneru-Theruvali Junction, Singapur Road-Koraput Junction, and Paralakhemundi-Gunpur, will be transformed into a new division with its headquarters at Rayagada under the East Coast Railway.

The government said that retaining the Waltair division, albeit in a truncated format, will fulfil the longstanding demands and aspirations of the local population.

This move is expected to streamline operations and enhance the efficiency of railway services in these regions.

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