This reduction resulted from the bifurcation of the former Waltair division and the transfer of several railway sections in Andhra Pradesh to the newly created SCoR. Prior to this restructuring, ECoR comprised three divisions: Khurda Road, Sambalpur, and Waltair. While the Sambalpur division remained unchanged, the Khurda Road division lost 53.57 km of lines located in Andhra Pradesh.
The Waltair division experienced the most significant change. Known for its strategic importance due to high freight earnings from mineral transportation, much of this division was reassigned to SCoR. Consequently, ECoR now manages the newly created Rayagada division with a route length of 698.69 km, compared to Waltair’s previous 1,106.44 km.
Post-reorganisation, the gap between ECoR and SCoR has widened. ECoR now operates 2,708.16 km of routes, whereas SCoR oversees 3,532.41 km across its Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal divisions—making SCoR larger by 824.25 km.
A similar pattern emerged in running track lengths. ECoR’s running tracks total 4,975.83 km, while SCoR controls 6,455.44 km, leaving ECoR with nearly 1,480 km less track under its jurisdiction.
Following the changes, 2,350 km of ECoR’s total route length lies within Odisha, with 115.28 km in Andhra Pradesh and 242.8 km in Chhattisgarh. Additionally, the South Eastern Railway maintains 668.413 km of routes within Odisha. In contrast, approximately 97% of Andhra Pradesh’s railway network falls under SCoR, which also manages 79.3 km in Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
Industry analysts note that this reorganisation has ended ECoR’s historically strong presence in Andhra Pradesh—a key feature since ECoR’s establishment in 2003. Overall, ECoR’s total track length has been reduced from 7,429.3 km to 6,072.5 km.
Official comments from East Coast Railway General Manager Parameshwar Funkwal and CPRO Deepak Rout are currently awaited.
