East Coast Railway

The East Coast Railway or ECoR is one of the new divisions of the Indian Railways. Established in 2003, this division caters to the train services in three states- Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Chattisgarh. As the name suggests, this division covers the areas that are along the Eastern coast of India. 

The growing population and its needs have made way for additional division in the railways. These new divisions are usually carved out of the previously larger divisions. The East Coast Railway was once part of the South Eastern Division and now concentrates on the micro division along the coastal areas. 

The demand in the area and the growing number of industries are some of the key factors that led to the birth of the ECoR division. The division connects most of these industries and helps them transport their products. It is heading towards connecting to the major ports such as Visakhapatnam.

The broad gauge service in the east coast area started in 1902 and was later combined with the Bengal Nagpur Railway System. The South Eastern Railway came into existence in 1955. 

The East Coast Railway was started with just one division on Khurda Road. As the division became functional in 2003, more divisions were added here. By 2005, this division had electrified the lines for smooth travel to cities such as Delhi and other areas. Now, the Cuttack to Delhi train offers extreme convenience and comfort. 

East Coast Railway now covers three divisions- Waltair, Khurda Road, and Sambalpur. Bhubaneswar Railway Station is the headquarters of East Coast Railway. Each division covers a larger area spread over the three states. It covers the entire Odisha and some parts of the other two states. The areas include parts of Bastar, Dantewada, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, and Vizianagaram. 

Waltair Division

Otherwise known as the Visakhapatnam Railway Division, the Waltair Division is spread over three states. This is also the highest-earning division of the ECoR. There are over 200 Diesel Automotives that can be accommodated at the Diesel Loco Shed in this division. 

The division has around 127 railway stations spread across seven sectors. Transportation is the main focus here due to the industrialisation and the port. 

Khurda Road Division

Khurda Road Junction in Odisha is the centre of this division. It connects the station to the outside world through the bridges constructed over Kuakhai, Birpa, and Brahmani. 

Sambalpur Division 

Sambalpur Railway Station is the major railway station of this division. It connects via Titlagarh and Talcher which were established in 1963 and 1998, respectively. Lines in this division are almost electrified, and the lanes are being doubled. 

Stations and Routes

The East Coast railway connects almost 273 stations and railway tracks. The total length of railway track in this division is around 5200 km. Of this, almost 3300 km has electrified tracks. Train tickets on all routes of the ECoR trains are available online.  The online facilities allow you to check the PNR status and live train running status of any train of this division. 

The major parts that this ECoR covers are, 

• Odisha: All parts

• Andhra Pradesh: Parts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts

• Chhattisgarh: All areas of Bastar and parts of Dantewada districts 

The main stations that are part of the ECoR are,

• Angul

• Balugaon

• Bhubaneswar

• Brahmapur

• Chatrapur

• Cuttack

• Khurda Road

• Puri

• Rayagada

• Sambalpur

Major train routes of ECoR are, 

• Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar-Khurda Road

• Bolangir-Khurda Road 

• Cuttack - Talcher

• Kothavalasa–Kirandul 

The ECoR division handles regular trains and also operates special trains during holidays and festivals. Special trains will be available during summer, Chhat pooja, pooja holidays, Rath Yatra, etc.  These trains are operational not only within the division but also in other cities such as Tirupati, Kolkata, Patna, etc. Currently, they are operating special trains from Srikakulam to Kollam for the Sabarimala pilgrims. 

East Coast Railway is upgrading itself with the growing technology and advancements in the Indian railways. It has recently installed fluorescent and luminous strips on the equipment masts, stop signals and level crossing to avoid mishaps due to foggy weather. 

The electrification in this division has now enabled the operations of semi-high-speed freight trains. Installing the train collision avoidance system - Kavach is on their to-do list. Hopefully, in the future, you will get more facilities and amenities in all the railway stations of this division.