Salem Junction railway station

Salem Junction railway station (station code: SA) is an A1 category ISO 14001 certified junction railway station situated in the city of Salem in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.[1] Salem Railway Junction has been rated as the cleanest station among the divisional headquarters railway stations and also the ninth cleanest railway station in the entire country, according to a survey report published in June 2017.[2] It is one of the major transit points in Southern India.

Salem Junction
Indian Railways station
New renovated entrance of Salem Junction
General information
LocationJunction Main road, Suramanagalam, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates11°40′17.05″N 78°6′47.6″E
Elevation288 metres (945 ft)
Owned byIndian Railways
Line(s)Jolarpettai–Shoranur line
Salem–Karur line
Salem-Vriddhachalam
Salem–Bangalore
Salem–Omalur–Mettur Dam
Platforms6
Tracks8
ConnectionsGoods terminal, Taxi Stand, Satellite Town Bus Terminal
Construction
Structure typeon ground station
ParkingAvailable
Bicycle facilitiesAvailable
Other information
StatusActive
Station codeSA
Fare zoneSouthern Railway zone
History
ElectrifiedYes
Passengers
50,000 per day on average
Location
Interactive map

Administration

The station is the headquarters of the Salem railway division of the Southern Railway zone in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the major transit points in Southern India.

History
Salem Junction's entrance before renovation

The station came into existence as part of the Chennai (then Madras)–Beypore (present-day Kerala) rail line in the 1860s. The station gained its junction status when the metre-gauge line was laid to Vridachalam, providing a connection to the South Indian railway network. After independence, the abandoned narrow-gauge line of Dharmapuri–Morappur was re-built and alignment changed to terminate the line at Salem Junction instead of Morappur. It was upgraded to metre gauge simultaneously. Salem to Bangalore via Hosur 124-mile-long railway line survey was sanctioned on 25 July 1955 and field work started on 27 February 1956.[3] In the 1990s, this railway line was converted to broad gauge. In the 2000s, the Vriddachalam line was also converted to broad gauge, making the station a complete broad-gauge station. The long-pending new broad-gauge railway line to Karur, started in the late 1990s, was commissioned in 2013. This paved way for a shorter, more direct route to southern districts of Tamil Nadu from Salem. This new direct route (from Karur jn to Salem jn line) reduces the importance of Erode junction and leads to diversion of many trains from Southern tamilnadu to Bangalore and katpadi route via namakkal.

Connectivity and infrastructure

Salem Junction has 24-hour continuous (Bus No:13) bus service to Town Bus Station (Old Bus Stand) and Central Bus Stand (New Bus Stand). The nearest airport is Salem Airport, which is 18 km (11 mi) away from the station. 24-hour taxi service from the railway station is available. There are originating passenger trains in all junction lines. It is an upgraded A–grade station. The station has a subway for every platform and platform bridges with escalators. The station has six platforms and eight tracks.[4]

Facilities
Salem Junction at night

The AC Waiting Hall at 1st, 3rd, and 4th Platforms with toilet facilities cost Rs:20/hr.[5] The second entrance with ticket counter at Old Suramangalam Road is planning to construct with subway and footover. Platforms 1, 3 and 4 are operated with 24-hour lifts and escalators.[6]

It has IRCTC Railway Canteen Platform No:3&4. Anandha Bhavan and Ashok Bhavan are nearby restaurants, and Hotel Ashwa Park, Raddison, Sivaraj Holiday Inn, and CJ Plazzio are nearby hotels.

The Salem Railway Division introduced battery operated car service on a payment basis at the Salem Railway Junction, available on platform numbers 3 and 4. The service is meant mainly for senior citizens, differently abled people, and ailing persons.[7]

On 26 December 2017, Salem Junction got free Wi-Fi connectivity. The facility is being provided by RailTel, a public sector telecom infrastructure provider.[8]

Lines

There are six lines branching out from the station:

References
  1. ISO, Salem. "Salem junction gets ISO 14001 certification". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  2. Cleanest, Salem. "Salem among top 10 cleanest railway stations". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  3. https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/56057/1/lsd_01_14_23-11-1956.pdf page 4
  4. "Salem among top 10 cleanest railway stations". The Hindu. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  5. "Pay and use waiting hall in Salem junction". The Hindu. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  6. "Salem Junction gets new amenities". The Hindu. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  7. "Salem Junction gets battery operated car". The Hindu. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  8. "From today Salem junction get free wifi Services" (in Tamil). Dinakaran. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  9. "Salem–Jolarpet railway track renewal work completed in 4 days". Business Line. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  10. "Diversion of four trains resented". The Hindu. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  11. "Salem – Vridhachalam train service". The Hindu. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  12. "drmsalem inspects electrification works on salem-vridhachalam". 28 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  13. "Salem Railway Division gets several projects". The Hindu. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  14. "CRS begins inspection of Salem–Karur electrified stretch". The Hindu. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  15. "Karur-Namakkal-Salem line opens new connectivity options". The Hindu. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  16. "Southern Railways: Salem–Karur line to be electrified". The Hindu. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
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