South Central Railway Zone: Headquarters, Divisions, and Routes

Indian Railways is divided into multiple zones and divisions. South Central Railway zone is one in 19 operational zones of Indian Railways. Each zone manages the train operations, passenger services, infrastructure, and day-to-day administration across different regions.

Recent developments include three divisions: Hyderabad, Nanded, and Secunderabad. Moreover, it also covers five states: Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, and its train operations.

This post will cover details on the SCR railway zone, including its headquarters, divisions, and routes. Moreover, it will explore its history, popular routes, and why it is important. It also covers the major railway station and more.

What is the South Central Railway Zone?

South Central Railway is also known as SCR railway. It has important significance in Indian Railways and is responsible to manage daily operation, infrastructure and passenger services within its jurisdiction.

SCR zone plays a crucial role in South India, covering multiple states like Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. It operates through different divisions involving Nanded, Secunderabad, and Hyderabad.

History of South Central Railway

The SCR formation has passed through different modifications from its formation till now. So, let’s go through the history of the SCR railway zone.

South Central Railway (SCR) zone was formed on 2 September 1966 by merging the Solapur and Secunderabad divisions of Central Railway with the Hubli and Vijayawada divisions of Southern Railway.
However, on 2nd September 1977, the Solapur Division was transferred back to CR and Guntakal Division of Southern Railway was merged with the SCR.
Later on 17th February 1978, Secunderabad Division was divided into separate divisions named Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
During reorganisation on 1st March, 2003, Guntur and Nanded started operations as two new divisions, and Hubli Division was transferred to the newly formed South Western Railway.
Now, South Central Railway comprises three divisions: Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and Nanded, effective from 1st June 2026.

South Central Railway Headquarter

South Central Railway headquarters are located in the Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad, Telangana. The headquarters manages the railway operations through the zone, which includes the following..

Passengers services
Train operations and its schedule
Track and signal maintenance
Freight transportation
Commercial Activities
Electrical operations
Administration
Infrastructure development

SCR Railway Divisions List

After incorporation of the latest changes on 1st June 2026, SCR runs on three administrative divisions.

Secunderabad Division in South Central Railway

The Secunderabad railway division covers about 51% of the overall SCR railway route. However, it has 1837 route km of electrified Broad Gauge and covers Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad Division

The Hyderabad railway division covers about 22% of the overall SCR routes. However, it has 707 route km of electrified Broad Gauge routes and 76 route km of non-electrified Broad Gauge routes. It covers Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.

Nanded Division

This is another division operated under the South Central Railway zone that manages over 100 railway stations, including Aurangabad, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, and Nagarsol. It covers about 27% of the SCR routes. Nanded division has 812 route Km electrified Broad Gauge with 106 route Km non-electrified Broad Gauge and 67 route Km non-electrified Metre Gauge.

Major South Central Railway Routes

The SCR zone covers multiple routes. These major routes connect multiple cities and railway stations. So, passengers need to check PNR status before boarding to find whether a ticket is confirmed or not for this busy route. However, some of the major routes are shared below.

Delhi-Chennai Train Route (Grand Trunk Route)

This route connects Northern and Southern India. The popular train “Grand Trunk Express” 12615/12616 runs between Chennai and Delhi and covers about 2192 km in its route. However, other trains also run on this route, which covers the major stations listed below.

New Delhi
Mathura Jn
Agra Cantt
Gwalior
V Lakshmi Bai Jhansi
Bhopal Jn
Itarsi Jn
Nagpur
Chandrapur
Balharshah
Warnagal
Vijayawada Jn
Nellore
MGR Chennai Central

Kazipet-Secunderabad-Wadi Route

Multiple trains run on this route. However, popular trains include Konark Express 11020/11019 and Visakhapatnam-Mumbai LTT Express 18519/18520. Check the train schedule to find detailed information such as arrival/departure time, halt duration, en route stations, and others.

Konark Express 11020/11019

The train runs between Bhubaneswar New and C Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and covers about 1943 kms. The train passes through multiple major stations, as follows.

Bhubaneswar
Khurda Road Jn
Brahmapur
Visakhapatnam Jn
Vijayawada Jn
Secunderabad Jn
Solapur Jn
Pune Jn
Dadar

Visakhapatnam-Mumbai LTT Express 18519/18520

The train runs between Visakhapatnam and Lokmanyatilak railway station (LTT). It covers about 1500 km on its route, and the stops are major stations listed below.

Vijayawada Jn
Secunderabad Jn
Solapur Jn
Pune Jn
Kalyan Jn

Peddapalli-Mizambad Train Route

Several express and special trains cover this SCR railway route. Tiruchanur-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express 17634, Special train 07604, and Tirupati-Jalna special fare special 07815 are some of the popular trains. Passengers can check the seat availability to plan journeys between major stations.

These trains cover major stations as per their schedule, which are listed below.

Vijayawada Jn
Peddapalli Jn
Nizamabad Jn
Renigunta Jn
Khammam
Warangal
H Sahib Nanded
Purna Jn

Dornakal-Bhadrachalam Road-Manuguru Train Route

Multiple trains operate on the Dornakal-Manuguru route. However, some popular trains include Secunderabad – Manuguru SF Express 12745, Secunderabad – Bhadrachalam Road Daily Express 17659, and others.

This route covers multiple stations, including the following popular railway stations:

Secunderabad Jn
Warangal
Dornakal Jn
Bhadrachalam Road
Manuguru
Charlapalli
Raghunathpalli
Kazipet Jn

Conclusion

Indian Railways is divided into 19 different railway zones, managing train operations, administration, passenger services, and others. South Central Railway zone is one of them, headquartered in Secunderabad, Telangana. It has three distinct divisions: Secunderabad, Hyderabad, and Nanded.

The SCR railway zone has gone through different changes over time, and the latest changes were made on 1st June 2026. The zone covers multiple states like Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.

The zone covers hundreds of railway stations. Major stations are Warangal, Vijayawada Jn, MGR Chennai Central, Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road Jn, Visakhapatnam Jn, Secunderabad Jn, Peddapalli Jn, Nizamabad Jn, H Sahib Nanded, Charlapalli, Kazipet Jn, and others.