Bhubaneswar: The Rayagada railway division under East Coast Railway (ECoR) will become operational on Monday, aligning with the launch of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone, with headquarters at Visakhapatnam.While SCoR got truncated portions from ECoR’s Waltair and Khurda Road divisions, the new division at Rayagada has been created by reorganising a portion of the Waltair division.The Rayagada division will be supported by around 40 officers and nearly 600 staff. Railway officials said the new administrative setup is aimed at improving coordination with state departments, district administrations and industries, while tightening supervision of operations and project implementation.The ECoR said Rayagada is expected to develop into a key administrative and freight centre for south Odisha. Annual freight loading from the division is projected to cross 40 million tonnes. Officials said iron ore from Kirandul-Bacheli belt will continue to account for a major share of traffic, along with alumina, bauxite, steel products and other bulk commodities.Railways also expect the division to speed up execution of infrastructure works covering about 1,360km, with planned investment exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. Projects listed by the ECoR include new railway lines on Jeypore-Malkangiri, Jeypore-Nabarangpur and Gunupur-Therubali routes, besides the doubling of the Kottavalasa-Koraput section.Logistics capacity is set to expand through GatiShakti Cargo Terminals planned at Singaram, Tikiri, Bhansi, Mallividu and Bheja.The ECoR said proposed terminals at Bhansi and Mallividu are expected to handle about 7 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and 5 MTPA respectively.Officials said the divisional headquarters is likely to generate local economic activity by increasing demand for housing, transport and services, and by creating employment opportunities linked to railway operations and ancillary services.Districts like Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Gajapati and Kandhamal are expected to gain from improved connectivity and faster completion of projects.Railway authorities said closer coordination with the Odisha gov is expected to help expedite land acquisition and statutory clearances.The ECoR said the move is part of Indian Railways’ broader push for decentralised administration to improve efficiency and support regional development.
