East Coast Railway – one of the blue chip zones of Indian Railways came into existence in its present form with effect from 1st April 2003. Since then, the new zonal railway headquarter has been functioning at Bhubaneswar, the capital city in the state of Orissa. The geographical jurisdiction of the railway is however extended over three states encompassing almost all parts of Orissa alongwith parts of Srikakulam, Vizainagaram & Visakhapatnam districts of North Eastern Andhra Pradesh, and Bastar & Dantewada districts of Chhatisgarh State. As such, these regions with a long coastal line are rich in mineral and other natural resources, and are on the threshold of an industrial upsurge.