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Following political backlash over the proposal to relocate seven railway stations below East Coast Railway (ECoR) to the newly created South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR), the Ministry of Railways has clarified that the transfer is not going to end in lack of income from freight loading.
The seven stations – Palasa, Sumadevi, Mandasa Highway, Balva, Sompeta, Jadupudi and Ichchapuram – are “situated in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and none of those stations are in Odisha,” a senior Indian Railways official stated. Hinduism.
These stations are small to medium sized and primarily deal with passenger site visitors. “None of them are main cargo loading factors,” the official added.
In 2025-2026, ECoR earned a income of Rs 29,251.52 crore with 286 tonnes cargo loading, primarily consisting of iron ore, coal and bauxite, a rise of as much as 10.43% in comparison with 2024-2025, when it earned Rs 26,262.59 crore with 259.25 million tonnes cargo loading.
The official added, “ECoR is the best income zone for Indian Railways because of cargo loading income and this pattern is just not affected as claimed by sure political circles.”
The clarification got here within the wake of political backlash in Odisha following an April 2 communication from the Railway Board proposing to incorporate seven railway stations in a 52-km stretch within the proposed Visakhapatnam division of the South Coastal Railway (SCoR), which is at present below the purview of ECoR’s Khurda street division.
“The proposed new boundary between Visakhapatnam District/SCoR and Khurda Highway District/ECoR could also be notified to the board workplace on the earliest,” Govt Director (Effectivity and Analysis) Rameshwar Meena stated in a communication.
Opposition events in Odisha, together with the Congress and the Biju Janta Dal (BJD), criticized the choice, saying the “curtailment” of ECoR’s jurisdiction would affect cargo income.
“By means of freight site visitors (trains passing by these stations en route) will proceed uninterrupted no matter which zone the station falls below,” the official stated.
Rail operations run seamlessly throughout regional boundaries. “All current trains together with Palatha-Bhubaneswar, Palatha-Cuttack and Ichapuram-Cuttack MEMU/passenger providers will proceed to run with none change in schedule, route or frequency. This can be a technical revision to make sure easy functioning of passenger providers in Visakhapatnam division,” the official added.
The strategy of relocation, together with staffing, is being finalized between ECoR and SCoR. The pursuits and dealing circumstances of all railway staff might be absolutely protected in accordance with established norms, the assertion stated.
