Government of India Ministry of Railways

South Central Railway was formed on 02.10.1966 when Hubli and Vijayawada Divisions of Southern Railway and Solapur and Secunderabad Divisions of Central Railway were carved out and merged into a new Zone. Subsequently, Guntakal Division of Southern Railway was merged with South Central Railway on 02.10.1977 and Solapur Division was remerged with Central Railway. Secunderabad Division was split into two Divisions viz. Secunderabad and Hyderabad on17.02.1978. Following re-organisation of zones and Divisions with effect from 01.04.2003, two new Divisions viz., Guntur and Nanded were operationalised duly transferring Hubli Division to newly formed South Western Railway.

South Eastern Railway had its humble origin in Chhatisgarh State Railway way back in 1882 comprising of a Metre Gauge (MG) railway line from Nagpur to Rajnandgaon(149 miles) with its HQ at Nagpur. The construction of the line was prompted by a desire of the then Govt. of Central province to provide quick transportation of food grain from the Chhatisgarh region to other parts as a step to prevent famine.

In recognition to persistent public demands, a new Railway Zone, with its Headquarters at Bilaspur, was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 20th Sep’ 1998 and dedicated to the nation on 1 April 2003.

South Western Railway was created by amalgamating the re-organized Hubli division from South Central Railway and Bangalore & Mysore divisions from Southern Railway. It has been operational from 1st April 2003 having the headquarters at Hubli in the state of Karnataka. The Railway comprises of 03 divisions, viz. Hubli, Bangalore & Mysore and primarily caters to Karnataka state with 84% of its jurisdiction located there. The balance 16% of its route length falls in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Goa.

Southern Railway, in its present form, came into existence on 14th April 1951 through the merger of the three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore state railway. Southern Railway's present network extends over a large area of India's Southern Peninsula, covering the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Pondicherry and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh. Serving these naturally plentiful and culturally rich southern states, the SR extends from Mangalore on the west coast and Kanniyakumari in the south to Renigunta in the North West and Gudur in the North East.

South Coast Railway (SCoR) officially stands constituted with its headquarters in the vibrant city of Visakhapatnam, effective from June 1, 2026.This momentous transition marks a strategic evolution in Rail network's operational capability, designed to optimize resource allocation, enhance supply chain resilience, and offer unparalleled service to passengers and freight partners across the region.

West Central Railway with its headquarters at Jabalpur comprises of Jabalpur and Bhopal divisions of erstwhile Central Railway and Kota division of erstwhile Western Railway. The formal gazette notification announcing the formation of this new zonal railway was issued on 4th July 2002 by the Ministry of Railway, Govt. of India.

Western Railway in its present form came into existence on 5th November, 1951 by the merger of its forerunner, the erstwhile Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CI), with other State Railways viz, Saurashtra, Rajputana and Jaipur. The BB&CI Railway was itself incorporated in 1855, starting with the construction of a 29 mile broad gauge track from Ankleshwar to Utran in Gujarat state on the West Coast. In 1864, the railway was extended up to Mumbai. Subsequently, the project was further extended beyond Baroda in a north easterly direction towards Godhra, Ratlam, Nagda and thereafter northwards towards Mathura to eventually link with the Great India Peninsula Railway, now Central Railway, which had already started operating in Mumbai in 1853. In 1883, a Metre Gauge Railway system, initially linking Delhi with Agra, Jaipur and Ajmer, was established.