Rayagada,29th Sept 2025: Before the 2019 general elections, the Central Government had announced the creation of the Rayagada Railway Division. However, due to political pressure from Andhra Pradesh, it was never made operational. After a long gap of six years, in January 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the new railway division.
It has now been nine months since the inauguration, but the division is still not fully operational and has not been granted full administrative control.
Due to fears of revenue loss, all major operations are still being run from Visakhapatnam’s Waltair Division, rather than being handed over to the new Rayagada Division.
The jurisdiction and railway line boundaries for the new division have not yet been clearly defined.
Though the Rayagada Railway Division headquarters is located in Rayagada, all administrative and operational controls are still managed from Waltair Division in Visakhapatnam.
The Rayagada Railway Division is supposed to include the following railway lines:
- Raipur – Vizianagaram
- Kirandul – Kotavalasa
- Koraput – Rayagada
Previously, these routes were part of the Waltair Division, which earned a significant share of its annual revenue from them. Among these, the Kirandul–Kotavalasa railway line, which originates from Chhattisgarh, contributed heavily to the revenue.