Coimbatore Junction railway station
Coimbatore Junction railway station, also known as Kovai Junction railway station (station code: CBE), is a major railway station located in the city of Coimbatore in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the busiest railway stations in South India and serves as a gateway to the Nilgiri hills, a popular tourist destination. The station is operated by the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways and has six platforms. Coimbatore is the second highest revenue generating station in the Southern Railway after Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations and is the station that generates about 45 percent of the revenue of the Salem Railway division. Coimbatore Junction is an important junction connecting major cities such as Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata. It also serves as a gateway to several popular tourist destinations such as Ooty and Kodaikanal.[2]
Coimbatore Junction Kovai Junction | |
|---|---|
 Indian Railways station | |
 Main entrance of the station | |
| General information | |
| Other names | Covai Junction |
| Location | State Bank Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - 641018 |
| Coordinates | 10.996365°N 76.967222°E |
| Elevation | 411.4 metres (1,350 ft) |
| Owned by | Indian Railways |
| Operated by | Southern Railway zone |
| Line(s) | Chennai–Coimbatore line Coimbatore–Shoranur line Coimbatore–Mettupalayam branch line Coimbatore–Pollachi line Coimbatore–Chamarajnagar line(Proposed) |
| Platforms | 6 |
| Tracks | 15 |
| Connections | Bus, Taxi stand, Auto |
| Construction | |
| Parking | Available |
| Bicycle facilities | No |
| Accessible | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Status | Functional |
| Station code | CBE |
| Zone(s) | Southern Railway zone |
| Division(s) | Salem |
| History | |
| Opened | 1873 [1] |
| Electrified | Yes |
| Location | |
  Coimbatore Junction Location within Tamil Nadu | |
| Interactive map | |
History
Train service in Coimbatore with construction of the Old_Coimbatore Railway Station at Podanur started on 18 July 1861, upon the construction of the Podanur–Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India.[3] Coimbatore lies on the Coimbatore–Shoranur 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge. Current Coimbatore Railway Junction was started as a halt station #Old_Coimbatore (Podanur) to Mettupalayam Branch line. It was built then opened on 1 February 1873, two months before MGR Chennai Central was opened as Madras Central. Until 1956, the Coimbatore Railway Division was functioning with Podanur as the headquarters. In 1956, the headquarters was shifted to Olavakkode, of Kerala state and was named Olavakkode railway division. In 1980, Olavakkode division was renamed Palakkad railway division. It comprised Kerala and western districts of Tamil Nadu. A new Salem railway division was carved out of the Palakkad railway division in 2006 with Salem as its headquarters. The city falls under the Salem Division of the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways. Coimbatore is one among the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways.[4][5][6] Other major railway stations catering to the city include Coimbatore North Junction, Podanur Junction and minor stations at Pilamedu, Singanallur, Irugur Junction, Periyanaickenpalayam, Thudiyalur, Madukkarai, Somanur and Sulur.[7][8][9]
Background
It is one of the major train stations in South India. It is one of the A1 graded station in the Southern Railway.[10] This station comes under the jurisdiction of Salem division of Southern Railways and contributes to 50% of the revenues of the zone.[5][6] It is one of the top booking stations in India according to Indian Railways.[11] Chennai Main, Egmore, Madurai Junction, Coimbatore Junction and Chennai Central are the most profitable stations of Southern Railways.
Lines
The station is a junction formed by the following 4 lines:[12][13]
- Jolarpettai–Peelamedu-Coimbatore line double line, 1891
- Coimbatore–Shoranur line double line 1862 (Then as Single Line)
- Coimbatore–Pollachi line single line 1891 (Then as Meter Gauge Single Line)
- Coimbatore–Mettupalayam branch line single line 1873
- Coimbatore–Nanjundapuram-Vellalore-Irugur line single line 1873
Suburban stations
The other stations serving Coimbatore include Coimbatore North Junction (CBF), Podanur Junction (PTJ), Irugur Junction (IGU), Madukkarai (MDKI), Pilamedu (PLMD), Singanallur (SHI), Sulur Road (SUU), Periyanaickenpalayam (PKM), Thudiyalur (TDE) and Somanur (SNO).[14]
Connections
The terminus is connected to all the major places within the city such as:
- Town Hall - 0.5 km
- Coimbatore Integrated Bus Terminus - 10.1 km
- Gandhipuram Central Bus Terminus - 2.3 km
- Singanallur Bus Terminus - 7.9 km
- Ukkadam Bus Terminus - 1.0 km
- Podanur Junction - 6.4 km
- Coimbatore International Airport - 12.4 km.
See also
References
- "Nilgiri Mountain Railway" (PDF). Southern Railway zone.
- "Coimbatore station not utilised fully: Rail users associations". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- "IR History – Early days". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- "Railways in Coimbatore". Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC). Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- Palaniappan, V. S. (31 August 2011). "Coimbatore Junction neglected". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- "Trains to be diverted near Coimbatore". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 26 January 2004. Archived from the original on 22 April 2004. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- "Podanur Junction". Indian Rail Info. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- Palaniappan, V.S. (11 June 2012). "Will Coimbatore's gain be Podanur's loss?". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- "'Facelift for Coimbatore Rly junction soon'". Business Line. The Hindu. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- "[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: IR History: Early Days - 1".
- Kumar, Sampath (16 October 2021). "Call for circular rail service connecting suburbs gets louder". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- "Route KM-Statewise" (PDF). Southern Railway zone. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
External links
- Coimbatore Junction railway station at the India Rail Info