How Many Railway Zones Are There in India in 2026?
Indian Railways has 18 zones in 2026. The 18th zone, South Coast Railway (SCoR), headquartered at Visakhapatnam, was constituted by a Ministry of Railways gazette notification dated 4 May 2026 and started working on 1 June 2026. It was carved out of East Coast Railway and South Central Railway. Each zone is headed by a General Manager, and zones are split into divisions, each under a Divisional Railway Manager (DRM).
Key takeaway: 18 zones (17 + South Coast Railway from 1 June 2026) and 70 operating divisions (69 + the new Rayagada division). Kolkata has 3 zonal HQs (Eastern, South Eastern, Metro Railway), Mumbai has 2 (Central, Western). Northern Railway has the longest route length.
Many pages and even the Indian Railways Year Book 2024-25 still say 17 zones and 69 divisions, because the Year Book covers the year to 31 March 2025. Use 18 for questions set after June 2026.
Indian Railway Zones and Headquarters List (All 18 Zones)
Route length is from the Indian Railways Year Book 2024-25 (as on 31 March 2025, before the South Coast split, so East Coast and South Central figures are pre-split). The South Coast figure is from the zone's 100-day update (October 2026).
| # | Zone | Headquarters | Year formed | Route km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Railway | Mumbai (CSMT) | 1951 | 4,353 |
| 2 | Eastern Railway | Kolkata | 1952 | 2,855 |
| 3 | East Central Railway | Hajipur (Bihar) | 2002 | 4,400 |
| 4 | East Coast Railway | Bhubaneswar | 2003 | 3,162 (pre-split) |
| 5 | Northern Railway | New Delhi | 1952 | 7,477 |
| 6 | North Central Railway | Prayagraj (Allahabad) | 2003 | 3,518 |
| 7 | North Eastern Railway | Gorakhpur | 1952 | 3,494 |
| 8 | Northeast Frontier Railway | Maligaon (Guwahati) | 1958 | 4,412 |
| 9 | North Western Railway | Jaipur | 2002 | 5,613 |
| 10 | Southern Railway | Chennai | 1951 | 5,104 |
| 11 | South Central Railway | Secunderabad | 1966 | 6,637 (pre-split) |
| 12 | South Eastern Railway | Kolkata (Garden Reach) | 1955 | 2,749 |
| 13 | South East Central Railway | Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) | 2003 | 2,448 |
| 14 | South Western Railway | Hubballi (Hubli) | 2003 | 3,711 |
| 15 | Western Railway | Mumbai (Churchgate) | 1951 | 6,284 |
| 16 | West Central Railway | Jabalpur | 2003 | 3,177 |
| 17 | Metro Railway, Kolkata | Kolkata | 2010 | 45 |
| 18 | South Coast Railway | Visakhapatnam | 2026 | about 3,532 |
Total route length of Indian Railways on 31 March 2025: 69,439 km (Year Book 2024-25).
South Coast Railway: The 18th Railway Zone Explained
| Point | Fact |
|---|---|
| Gazette notification | 4 May 2026 (Ministry of Railways, under Section 3(4) of the Railways Act, 1989) |
| Working from | 1 June 2026 |
| Headquarters | Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) |
| Carved out of | East Coast Railway and South Central Railway |
| Divisions | Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal |
| Visakhapatnam division | The truncated old Waltair division, renamed |
| New division under East Coast Railway | Rayagada (made from the rest of Waltair division) |
| First General Manager | Sandeep Mathur |
After the change, South Central Railway keeps the Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Nanded divisions, and East Coast Railway has Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Rayagada.
Railway Zones Trick: Cities With More Than One Zone HQ
| City | Zonal headquarters |
|---|---|
| Kolkata | Eastern, South Eastern, Metro Railway |
| Mumbai | Central (CSMT), Western (Churchgate) |
Tricky HQs that are not state capitals: Hajipur (East Central), Gorakhpur (North Eastern), Bilaspur (South East Central), Hubballi (South Western), Jabalpur (West Central), Prayagraj (North Central), Secunderabad (South Central), Visakhapatnam (South Coast), Maligaon near Guwahati (Northeast Frontier).
Memory hook for the 2002–03 zones (the seven formed in the last big reorganisation): "Hajipur–Jaipur in 2002; Bhubaneswar, Prayagraj, Bilaspur, Hubballi, Jabalpur in 2003."
Railway GK Facts for RRB NTPC and Group D 2026
| Topic | Fact |
|---|---|
| First passenger train | 16 April 1853, Bori Bunder (Mumbai) to Thane, 34 km |
| Railway Board formed | 1905 |
| Rail Budget merged with Union Budget | From 2017-18 |
| Head of the Railway Board | Chairman and CEO, Railway Board |
| Minister for Railways (Oct 2026) | Ashwini Vaishnaw |
| Gauges | Broad 1,676 mm; Metre 1,000 mm; Narrow 762 mm and 610 mm |
| Broad gauge share of route km | 97.02% (31 March 2025) |
| Electrified route km | 65,510 RKm by March 2025 |
| Stations | 7,469 (2024-25) |
| Operating divisions | 70 (69 in the Year Book + Rayagada from 1 June 2026) |
| Kavach | Indigenous Automatic Train Protection system |
| First Vande Bharat Express | 15 February 2019, New Delhi to Varanasi |
| Chenab Bridge | World's highest railway arch bridge, part of the USBRL line dedicated on 6 June 2025 |
| New Pamban Bridge | India's first vertical-lift railway sea bridge (Tamil Nadu), opened 6 April 2025 |
| CRIS (IT arm) | Set up in 1986, New Delhi |
Railway Production Units and Their Locations
| Production unit | Location | Makes |
|---|---|---|
| Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) | Chittaranjan, West Bengal | Electric locomotives (700 in 2024-25, the highest) |
| Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW, earlier DLW) | Varanasi | Electric and diesel locomotives |
| Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW) | Patiala | Electric locomotives |
| Integral Coach Factory (ICF) | Chennai | Coaches, Vande Bharat trainsets |
| Rail Coach Factory (RCF) | Kapurthala | Coaches |
| Modern Coach Factory (MCF) | Rae Bareli | Coaches |
| Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) | Bengaluru (Yelahanka) | Wheels and axles |
| Rail Wheel Plant (RWP) | Bela, Bihar | Wheels |
Railway Zones Practice Questions (RRB NTPC Pattern)
- How many railway zones does India have after June 2026? 18.
- Which is the headquarters of the South Coast Railway zone? Visakhapatnam.
- Hajipur is the headquarters of which zone? East Central Railway.
- Which zone has the longest route length? Northern Railway (7,477 route km).
- Which new division was created under East Coast Railway on 1 June 2026? Rayagada.
- Which two zones are headquartered in Mumbai? Central and Western.
- Where is the headquarters of South Western Railway? Hubballi.
- The old Waltair division was renamed as? Visakhapatnam division.
Indian Railway Zones FAQs
How many railway zones are there in India in 2026?
- South Coast Railway (HQ Visakhapatnam) became the 18th zone on 1 June 2026, after a gazette notification on 4 May 2026.
Which is the newest railway zone in India?
South Coast Railway, headquartered at Visakhapatnam, working since 1 June 2026.
Which is the largest railway zone in India?
By route length, Northern Railway (HQ New Delhi), with 7,477 route km on 31 March 2025.
How many railway divisions are there in India?
70: the Year Book 2024-25 lists 69, and the 4 May 2026 notification created Rayagada division from 1 June 2026.
Why do some books say 17 railway zones?
They were printed before June 2026. The 17 zones included Metro Railway, Kolkata; South Coast Railway is the 18th.
Which city has the most railway zone headquarters?
Kolkata, with Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway and Metro Railway.
Practice Next
- Mock tests: RRB NTPC Railway GK Quiz 01, RRB Group D Railway GK Quiz 01, RRB NTPC Railway GK Quiz 02, RRB Group D Railway GK Quiz 02, RRB NTPC General Awareness Sectional Mock Test 01 and RRB NTPC CBT 1 Full Mock Test 03.
- Job update: RRB NTPC 2026 notification.
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- New: Vande Bharat Express train list 2026 (all 164 services).
- Browse all study notes.