South Western Railway zone
 | This article needs to be updated. (February 2024) |
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Rail Soudha, Gadag Road Hubballi Karnataka |
| Locale | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra |
| Dates of operation | 2003– |
| Predecessor | Southern Railway zone South Central Railway zone Central Railway zone |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Broad gauge (1676mm, 5'6") |
| Previous gauge | Meter gauge |
| Electrification | 3,329 kilometres (2,069 mi) |
| Length | 3,721 kilometres (2,312 mi) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
The South Western Railway (abbreviated SWR) is one of the 19 railway zones of Indian Railways, headquartered at Hubballi in the Indian state of Karnataka.[1] SWR was created from carving out the routes from Southern Railways, South Central Railways and Central Railways in 2003.
History
[edit]The South Western Railway zone came into existence on 3 April 2003 by bifurcating Mysuru and Bengaluru divisions from Southern Railway along with Hubballi division from South Central Railway. It is headquartered at Hubballi and comprises three divisions namely Hubballi, Mysuru, and Bengaluru. The fourth division at Kalaburagi was slated to be the fourth division which was supposed to be carved out from Hubballi, Secunderabad, Guntkal and Solapur divisions. Currently the divisional office at Kalaburagi is on hold due to operational constraints. [2]
With effect from 1st October 2026, the Railway lines of Mangaluru area was merged with the Mysuru railway division of South Western Railway (SWR) to facilitate more efficient administrative management.
Zonal Headquarters
[edit]
The headquarters of South Western Railway (SWR) is located at Rail Soudha, Gadag Road, Hubballi, Karnataka – 580020, India. The zone has been headquartered at Hubballi since its formation on 1 April 2003.
Divisions
[edit]South Western Railway (SWR) is administratively divided into three railway divisions
- Bengaluru railway division
- Mysuru railway division
- Hubballi railway division
- Kalaburagi railway division (Proposed)
| Sl. No. | Division | Route Kms | % of Route Kms | Running track Kms | % of Running track Kms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengaluru | 1144.98 | 30.76% | 1707.31 | 30.99% |
| 2 | Mysuru | 1141.78 | 30.67% | 1468.33 | 26.65% |
| 3 | Hubballi | 1434.91 | 38.55% | 2333.12 | 42.35% |
| Grand Total | 3721.63 | 100% | 5508.78 | 100% | |
Administrative reorganization
[edit]Mangaluru Area
With effect from 1st October 2026, the Railway lines of Mangaluru area was merged with the Mysuru railway division of South Western Railway (SWR) to facilitate more efficient administrative management. The Government of India issued the related Gazette notification on 21 August 2026,outlining the changes to the railway administrative jurisdiction.
Railway Board NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 21st August, 2026
No. 2025/E&R/1(3)/1.
1. It is hereby notified for general information that keeping in view the operational requirements, Central Government has decided to revise the jurisdictional boundaries of Mysuru division of South Western Railway, Konkan Railway and Palakkad division of Southern Railway.
2. The divisional/zonal boundary between Mysuru division of South Western Railway and Palakkad division of Southern Railway is now fixed at Km 872.900 on Shoranur Jn.- Mangaluru Central section.
3. The existing divisional/zonal boundary between Konkan Railway and Southern Railway will become the divisional/zonal boundary between Konkan Railway and South Western Railway.
4. The interchange point between Mysuru division of South Western Railway and Palakkad division of Southern Railway will accordingly shift from Padil to Ullal.
5. The existing interchange point between Palakkad division of Southern Railway and Konkan Railway at Thokur will now be the interchange point between Konkan Railway and Mysuru division of South Western Railway.
6. These changes in the above jurisdiction will come into effect from 1st Oct.’ 2026.
Jurisdiction
[edit]
South Western Railway covers most of the railway lines in the state of Karnataka and Goa except the Konkan Railway line, parts of Sri Sathya Sai district and Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, Krishnagiri district, parts of Dharmapuri district and Tirupathur district of Tamil Nadu and parts of Sangli district and Solapur district of Maharashtra. SWR also operates and maintains Mangalore–Hassan–Mysore line railway track.
Modernization
[edit]The Mysuru Division of South Western Railways will be designated as "Digital Division" after fully adopting its current technology harnessing programme. The government of India had asked Railways divisions to cut red tape and reduce paperwork in offices. All the officials will adopt technologies like WhatsApp and Google Drive to share reports and other documents. This will save a lot of papers being used for circulating reports as done currently. Two web-based helplines have been launched so that digitised information can be shared among different officials. The inspection reports regarding maintenance, passenger amenities, cleanliness, electronics, and communication, etc. will be managed by a new software which is under construction now. These measures will cut down redundant works, reduce number of registers and reports maintained by officials, reduce paper consumption and improve the efficiency and celerity of operations.[3]
In 2025 SWR has enhanced speed on 835 kilometers of track, which saves up to an hour in traveling time for both people and goods. This has resulted in better logistics, more punctuality, and economic growth.[4]
Loco sheds
[edit]- Diesel & Electric Loco Shed, Krishnarajapuram(KJM)
- Diesel Loco Shed, Hubballi(UBL)
- MEMU Shed, Banaswadi(BAND)
- DEMU Shed, Bengaluru Contonment (BNC)
- MEMU & DEMU Shed, Hubballi(UBL)
Pitlines and Coaching facilities
[edit]South Western Railway has 26 active pit lines across its three divisions, with 2 additional pit lines under construction and 1 pit line sanctioned, supporting the examination, servicing, and maintenance of train rakes.
| Division | Location | Number of Pit lines |
|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | KSR Bengaluru | 5 |
| Yesvantpur | 4 | |
| Baiyyappanahalli / SMVT Bengaluru | 3 | |
| Mysuru | Mysuru | 4 |
| Mangaluru Central | 3 | |
| Arsikere | 1 | |
| Shivamogga / Kotegangur | 2 (Under Construction) | |
| Hubballi | Hubballi | 4 |
| Vasco da Gama | 1 | |
| Belagavi | 1 | |
| Vijayapura | 1 (Sanctioned) | |
| Total | 29 | |
State wise Route and Running track Kms
[edit]- Karnataka – 3,142.88 km (84.4%)
- Andhra Pradesh – 298.41 km (8.01%)
- Tamil Nadu – 173.67 km (4.66%)
- Goa – 69.31 km (1.86%)
- Maharashtra – 37.42 km (1.00%)
| Sl. No. | State | Route Kms | % of Route Kms | Running Track Kms | % of Running Track Kms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karnataka | 3,142.88 | 84.44% | 4,720.69 | 85.69% |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | 298.41 | 8.01% | 419.02 | 7.61% |
| 3 | Tamil Nadu | 173.67 | 4.66% | 198.64 | 3.61% |
| 4 | Goa | 69.31 | 1.86% | 95.57 | 1.73% |
| 5 | Maharashtra | 37.42 | 1.00% | 74.84 | 1.36% |
| Grand Total | 3,721.63 | 100.00% | 5,508.78 | 100.00% | |
Revenue
[edit]| Service Head | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger | 2116.14 | 2388.39 | 2436.54 | 2670.41 |
| Other Coaching | 270.25 | 325.31 | 349.39 | 359.47 |
| Goods | 4202.20 | 4553.09 | 4377.80 | 4843.94 |
| Sundries | 364.43 | 404.36 | 301.27 | 351.46 |
| TOTAL | 6953.02 | 7671.16 | 7465.10 | 8225.28 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Railway Zones and Divisions in The Country". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Railways (Government of India). 21 July 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ↑ "New railway division in Kalaburagi to be under SWR but they are not setting up as it is formed in Congress time". The Hindu. 6 March 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ↑ "On course to becoming a 'digital division' - Today's Paper". The Hindu. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ↑ B.P, Darshan Devaiah (26 July 2025). "South Western Railway upgrades 835 km track; saves over an hour in travel time". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
External links
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