New Delhi

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday announced that the new South Coastal Railway Zone will officially become operational from June 1, 2026.

Speaking after the ground-breaking ceremony of the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, Vaishnaw said a gazette notification for the formation of the South Coastal Railway Zone would be issued soon, with June 1 set as its effective date. He described the move as an important milestone for strengthening railway administration in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the Railway Ministry, Andhra Pradesh has received a record railway budget allocation of Rs 10,134 crore, a sharp rise from the earlier Rs 886 crore allotted when Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were a combined state.

The minister said railway infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 1.06 lakh crore are currently in progress across Andhra Pradesh. These works are aimed at improving connectivity to ports, tourist centres and major urban hubs.

With the launch of the South Coastal Railway Zone, India will have 18 railway zones, up from the current 17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone for the zone on June 8, 2025, while the proposal for its creation was first announced in February 2019.

The ministry said the new zone is intended to improve operational efficiency and better address the rising passenger and freight traffic needs in the region.

Vaishnaw also noted that Andhra Pradesh has achieved full electrification of its railway network, placing it among the leading states in railway modernisation.

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On passenger services, he said the state is currently served by 16 Vande Bharat trains and 22 Amrit Bharat train services, helping improve speed and comfort for travellers. He added that the East Coast Railway Corridor is being expanded into a four-line network, a project expected to significantly raise capacity and allow as many as 500 additional trains to run in the future.