NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the newly created Jammu rail division and lay the foundation of the Rayagada railway division through video conferencing on 6 January from New Delhi.
With the creation of these two new railway divisions, the total number of operational railway divisions will rise to 70 under 17 zones of the Indian Railways.
The headquarters of the newly created Jammu and Rayagada railway divisions will be located in Jammu and Rayagada, Odisha, respectively. Additionally, Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate the new terminal at Charlapalli railway station in Hyderabad.
Confirming this development, Executive Director (I&P) of the Railway Ministry, Dileep Kumar, told this newspaper on Thursday, “The government has decided to set up a new division with headquarters at Jammu under the Northern Railway by reorganising the Firozpur division.”
“The new Jammu division is likely to have the Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur (now Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan) Srinagar-Baramulla (423 route km), the Bhogpur-Sirwal-Pathankot (87.21 route km), Batala (excluding)-Pathankot (68.17 route km), and the Pathankot-Joginder Nagar (NG section covering 163.72 route km) under its jurisdiction. The final jurisdiction will be determined based on the Detailed Project Report,” Kumar added.
The headquarters of the newly created Jammu division will be equipped with modern, hi-tech facilities, utilising the full potential of Information Technology (IT).
Meanwhile, the Rayagada division in Odisha is being set up by reorganising the Visakhapatnam division in Andhra Pradesh to cater to the transportation needs of this mineral-rich and tribal-dominated region.
“With the creation of these two new divisions, the Indian Railways will have a total of 70 divisions under its 17 various zones,” said an official at the Ministry.
There has also been a longstanding demand for the creation of a South Coast zone in Andhra Pradesh as Indian Railways’ 18th zone. Reportedly, tenders have been invited for the construction of the proposed South Coast railway zone’s office at Visakhapatnam.
Dwelling upon the significance of the Jammu division, a senior railway official said, “The establishment of the Jammu division coincides with the inauguration of several railway projects in the region, including the highly anticipated Chenab River Rail Bridge, and will deliver a strong message of the central government’s commitment towards improving railway networks across J&K.”
The Chenab River Rail Bridge, located in the Reasi district, stands 1,178 feet above the riverbed, making it 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Jammu division will also oversee the USBRL project, which has now been completed.
Currently, railway services in J&K are managed by the Firozpur division of Northern Railways. The new Jammu rail division will encompass over 36 railway stations, including prominent stations such as Jammu Tawi, Katra, and Udhampur, along with several other new stations being developed on new rail routes across J&K.
In Odisha, the Rayagada division will improve railway connectivity in the region, strengthening Indian Railways' reach. Rayagada, being a tribal-dominated area, will witness more efficient transportation of minerals and passengers with this development.