The rail network in Kerala is operated by Indian Railways. The state falls in the Southern Railway zone. The railways connects the most major towns and cities except those in the highland districts of Idukki and Wayanad. [1]
Contents
- Major facts about Railways in Kerala
- Number of railway stations by district
- Stations on Kanyakumari - Mangalore rail-route (via Kottayam)
- Stations on Kayamkulam - Ernakulam Jn. rail-route (via Alappuzha)
- Stations on Shoranur - Coimbatore rail-route
- Stations on Palakkad Jn.- Tiruchendur rail-route
- Stations on Kollam- Sengottai rail-route
- Stations on Shoranur - Nilambur Road rail-route
- Stations on Thrissur - Guruvayur rail-route
- Non-passenger Freight stations
- Planned Railway stations
- Defunct/Unused railway stations
- Non-operational railway stations
- See Also
- Gallery
- References
The total railway network in the state is 1054 kms in length and is controlled by three out of six divisions of the Southern Railway: Thiruvananthapuram railway division headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad railway division headquartered at Palakkad and Madurai railway division headquartered at Madurai, Tamil Nadu. [2]
The first railway line in the state was laid from Tirur to Chaliyam (Kozhikode), with the oldest Railway Station at Tirur, passing through Tanur, Parappanangadi, Vallikkunnu, and Kadalundi. [3] [4] The railway was extended from Tirur to Kuttippuram through Tirunavaya in the same year. [4] It was again extended from Kuttippuram to Shoranur through Pattambi in 1862, resulting in the establishment of Shoranur Junction railway station, which is also the largest railway junction in the state. [4] Major railway transport between Chaliyam–Tirur began on 12 March 1861, [4] from Tirur-Shoranur in 1862, [4] from Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section in 1902, from Kollam–Sengottai on 1 July 1904, Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram on 4 January 1918, from Nilambur-Shoranur in 1927, from Ernakulam–Kottayam in 1956, from Kottayam–Kollam in 1958, from Thiruvananthapuram–Kanyakumari in 1979 and from the Thrissur-Guruvayur Section in 1994. [5] The Nilambur–Shoranur line is one of the shortest broad gauge railway lines in India. [6] It was established in the British era for the transportation of Nilambur teaks and Angadipuram Laterite to United Kingdom through the port at Kozhikode. [6] The presence of Palakkad Gap on Western Ghats makes the Shoranur Junction railway station important as it connects the southwestern coast of India (Mangalore) with the southeastern coast (Chennai). [7] Kochi Metro is the metro rail system in the city of Kochi. It is the only metro rail system in Kerala.
