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The Indian Railways on Sunday announced the creation of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone, with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam, clarifying concerns regarding stations in the Srikakulam district.
A factual note from the Railways stated that the Palasa-Ichchapuram section, spanning approximately 50 km, comprises seven stations -- Palasa, Summadevi, Mandasa Road, Baruva, Sompeta, Jhadupudi, and Ichchapuram -- all located in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, with none situated in Odisha. "These stations are small to mid-sized stations handling primarily passenger traffic. None of them is a major freight loading point. Therefore, ECoR's revenue remains unaffected," the Railways clarified. It further added that pass-through freight traffic will continue uninterrupted regardless of which zone has jurisdiction, ensuring railway operations remain seamless across zonal boundaries. "No disruption to train services. All existing trains, including Palasa-Bhubaneswar, Palasa-Cuttack, and Ichchapuram-Cuttack MEMU/passenger services, will continue to operate without any change in schedule, route, or frequency," the statement said. The Railways described the creation of SCoR as a technical revision aimed at ensuring the smooth functioning of passenger services in the Visakhapatnam division. "The modalities of the transfer, including staff deployment, are being finalised between ECoR and SCoR. The interests and service conditions of all railway employees will be fully protected as per established norms," it added. The note reaffirmed the government's commitment to Odisha, highlighting "record capital expenditure on railway network expansion in Odisha, station modernisation, Vande Bharat services, and the newly created Rayagada Division under ECoR" as evidence of ongoing support. (ANI)
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