Varkala Sivagiri railway station

Varkala Sivagiri railway station, station code VAK, is a major railway station (NSG 4 Category) in Kerala serving the town of Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram. It is the second-busiest railway station in the state capital district Trivandrum in terms of passenger movement and 14th busiest in Kerala State. Around 54 trains halts in this station which handled more than 17,730 passengers daily with 3 platforms. It is on Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line. Station is well connected to major metropolitan & tier 2 cities like Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Goa etc.

This article is about the railway station. For the Varkala, see Sivagiri, Kerala.

Varkala
Regional rail and Light rail station
General information
LocationSH64, Varkala, Trivandrum, Kerala
India
Coordinates8.741°N 76.723°E / 8.741; 76.723
Elevation58m
Owned byGovernment of India
Operated byIndian Railways
Line(s)Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line
Platforms3
Tracks5
Connections
Construction
Structure typeStandard (on-ground station)
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleDisabled access
Other information
StatusFunctioning
Station codeVAK
Zone(s) Southern Railway zone
Division(s) Thiruvananthapuram
ClassificationNSG-4[1]
History
Opened1918 (1918)
Rebuilt1974 (1974)
ElectrifiedYes, 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Previous namesVarkala railway station till 2005 (2005)
Passengers
2018–1911,427/day[2]
Annual passengers – 41,70,860
Rank2nd in Trivandrum district, 14th in Kerala
Services
Computerized ticketing counters AC waiting room Railway Police Force Parking Disabled access Pedestrian foot overbridge Free wi-fi Food plaza Kiosks WC Taxi stand Public transportation
Preceding station Indian Railways Following station
Edavai
towards ?
Southern Railway zone Akathumuri
towards ?
Location
Varkala is located in Kerala
Varkala
Varkala
Location in Kerala
Varkala is located in India
Varkala
Varkala
Location in India

Traffic

In 2018–19 FY about 41lakh passengers were passed through this station and make a profit of 11.12 cr. Varkala is the second-busiest railway station after Trivandrum Central. In close proximity to the station is Varkala Municipal Bus Station. It serves the people from northern part of entire Trivandrum district and southern part of Kollam district.

History

The metre-gauge railway line passing through the Varkala town was completed in 1917 and opened for traffic on 1 January 1918. The line was then up to Chakkai near Trivandrum. On 4 November 1931 it was extended to Trivandrum Central. Later, considering the steady increase in passenger traffic the metre-gauge was converted into broad-gauge which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 13 September 1977· There are two approach roads from Kallambalam and Parippally to Varkala railway station from the National Highway 66.

Name of the station

The station name used to be 'Varkala' till 2005. It was renamed "Varkala Sivagiri" after the samadhi of Sri Narayana Guru, situated in Varkala in the year 2005. Most of the trains are allowed temporary halt at this station during a week period of the famous "Sivagiri Theerthadanam" (Sivagiri Pilgrimage).

Significance

Varkala is a major commercial and industrial town in the district and also Varkala is the nearest major railway station for Attingal, Kilimanoor, Kallambalam, Chirayinkeezhu, Alamcode towns. Varkala Beach which is one of the popular tourist destination in India is at a distance of 3.1 km (1.9 mi) from the railway station. Sivagiri Mutt founded by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru is situated at the top of the Sivagiri hill in Varkala. Janardana Swami Temple is a Vaishnavite shrine which is estimated to be 2000 years old. Kappil Beach & Backwaters situated 8 km (5.0 mi) from Varkala is major tourist destination in Varkala.

Annual passenger earnings of Varkala railway station
Passenger Earnings
Year Earnings
(in crores)		 Variation
2015–16 â‚ą9.4484 crore (US$1.2 million) NA
2016–17 â‚ą9.8191 crore (US$1.2 million) Increaseâ‚ą0.3707 crore (US$46,000)[3]
2017–18 â‚ą10.4254 crore (US$1.3 million) Increaseâ‚ą0.6063 crore (US$76,000)[4]
2018–19 â‚ą11.1201 crore (US$1.4 million) Increaseâ‚ą0.6947 crore (US$87,000)[5]
2019–20 â‚ą11.5095 crore (US$1.4 million) Increaseâ‚ą0.3894 crore (US$49,000)[6]
2020-21 â‚ą2.0588 crore (US$260,000) Decreaseâ‚ą9.4507 crore (US$1.2 million)[7]

See also

References
  1. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  2. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  3. "Stations Profile 2017 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2017-18 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  5. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  6. "Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2019-20" (PDF). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. "Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2020-21" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2021.
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