How the newest rail zone came into being; ops likely to commence from June 1, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• The South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR), the 18th zone of Indian Railways, is expected to commence operations from June 1, 2026.
• Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, announced the gazette notification for SCoR in Visakhapatnam.

Detailed Insights:

• The creation of SCoR stems from the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 and subsequent demands for a separate railway zone in the state.
• SCoR covers major portions of Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, divided into the Guntakal, Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam divisions.
• The zone was created by carving out areas from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) and South Central Railway (SCR), with the Waltair division of ECoR being divided into Visakhapatnam and Rayagada divisions.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Ex post facto approval: Approval granted for actions already taken.
• Freight loading: The process of loading goods onto trains for transportation.
• Gazette notification: An official publication of government decisions and announcements.