Varkala Sivagiri railway station

Last updated

Varkala
Regional rail and Light rail station
General information
LocationSH64, Varkala, Trivandrum, Kerala
India
Coordinates 8°44′28″N76°43′23″E / 8.741°N 76.723°E / 8.741; 76.723
Elevation58m
Owned byGovernment of India
Operated by Indian Railways
Line(s) Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line
Platforms3
Tracks5
Connections
Construction
Structure typeStandard (on-ground station)
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Accessible Wheelchair symbol.svg
Other information
StatusFunctioning
Station codeVAK
Zone(s) Southern Railway zone
Division(s) Thiruvananthapuram
ClassificationNSG-4 [1]
History
Opened1918;105 years ago (1918)
Rebuilt1974;49 years ago (1974)
ElectrifiedYes, 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Previous namesVarkala railway station till 2005;18 years ago (2005)
Passengers
2018–1911,427/day [2]
Annual passengers – 41,70,860
Rank2nd in Trivandrum district, 14th in Kerala
Services
Feature ticket office.svg Waiting room icon.svg Nuvola apps agent.svg Feature parking.svg Feature accessible.svg Italian traffic signs - sottopassaggio pedonale.svg WIFI icon.svg SymbolCoffeeShop.svg AB-Autobahnkiosk.svg Aseos Publicos.jpg Aiga taxi.svg Feature suburban buses.svg
Preceding station Indian Railways Suburban Railway Logo.svg Indian Railways Following station
Edavai
towards ?
Southern Railway zone Akathumuri
towards ?
Location
India Kerala location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Varkala
Location in Kerala
India location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Varkala
Location in India

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.

Contents

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
YearEarnings
(in crores)
Variation
2015–16 9.4484 crore (US$1.2 million)NA
2016–17 9.8191 crore (US$1.2 million)Increase2.svg 0.3707 crore (US$46,000) [3]
2017–18 10.4254 crore (US$1.3 million)Increase2.svg 0.6063 crore (US$76,000) [4]
2018–19 11.1201 crore (US$1.4 million)Increase2.svg 0.6947 crore (US$87,000) [5]
2019–20 11.5095 crore (US$1.4 million)Increase2.svg 0.3894 crore (US$49,000) [6]
2020-21 2.0588 crore (US$260,000)Decrease2.svg 9.4507 crore (US$1.2 million) [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karunagappalli railway station</span> Karunagappalli railway station

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varkala Taluk</span> Taluk in Trivandrum district

Varkala Taluk is a Taluk (tehsil) in Thiruvananthapuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the 3rd most densely populated taluk in the district comprising 10 villages and Varkala municipality. Spanning an area of about 171 km2,Varkala Taluk is home to over 9% of total population of Trivandrum district. Varkala is the taluk headquarters and the largest town of the taluk.

Akathumuri is one of the 4 railway stations serving the Varkala urban agglomeration in district of Thiruvananthapuram. It is 6 km from Varkala railway station and it is situated in Cheruniyoor Panchayat of Varkala Taluk. It is the nearest minor station for SR Medical College, Sri Sankara Dental College, Golden Island etc. In 2018–19 FY Akathumuri generated ₹2.47lakh profit from 12,286 passengers. It is the 19th most revenue-generating and 20th busiest railway station in Trivandrum district.

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.