Kottayam railway station

Kottayam
Long distance rail station
General information
LocationNagampadam, Kottayam, Kottayam district, Kerala
India
Coordinates9°35′42″N 76°31′52″E / 9.595°N 76.531°E / 9.595; 76.531
Owned byIndian Railways
Operated bySouthern Railway zone
Line(s)Ernakulam–Kottayam–Kayamkulam line
Platforms6
Tracks9
ConnectionsNagampadam bus stand, Autorikshaw stand, Taxi stand
Construction
Structure typeStandard on-ground station
ParkingAvailable
AccessibleDisabled access
Other information
StatusFunctioning
Station codeKTYM
Zone(s) Southern Railway zone
Division(s) ThiruvananthapuramTooltip Thiruvananthapuram railway division
ClassificationNSG-3
History
Opened1956; 68 years ago (1956)
ElectrifiedYes
Passengers
2018–1912,319 per day[1]
Route map
Location
Kottayam is located in India
Kottayam
Kottayam
Location within India
Kottayam is located in Kerala
Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam (Kerala)

Kottayam railway station (station code: KTYM[2]) is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone.[3] It is located in Kottayam, Kerala state, India. Kottayam lies on the busy rail route between Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam. It is an NSG 3 category station. The station is served by several long-distance trains connecting most major cities in the country on a daily basis like New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Bhopal, Pune and Mangalore. Trains connecting extreme ends of india also passes through the station like Jammu tawi, Dibrugarh etc. It is one of the busiest station in Thiruvananthapuram central - Ernakulam route due to ease in accessibility of Sabarimala temple. Kottayam railway station is the halt station for passengers to Sabarimala temple, Vagamon, Kumarakom, Illickal kallu - high range, St. Alphonsa's tomb, Pala and so on. Station has 2 passing platforms - (1 & 2), and 4 terminal platforms (3, 4, 5 & 1A). Except platform 1A all the platforms are able to accommodate locomotives with 24 coaches and platform 1A can accommodate Memu/passenger trains with 13 coaches . Station is currently under construction with a second entrance. By completing double line from Chingavanam to Ettumanoor, southern railway has achieved its complete stretch of double rail line from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangalore

History

The works for the metre-gauge project between Ernakulam and Kollam commenced on 24 December 1952. The metre-gauge railway line from Ernakulam to Kottayam was completed in 1956 and was formally inaugurated in October 1956. The metre-gauge line was later extended to Kollam on 1958 and was inaugurated on 6 January 1958.[4]

Layout

Kottayam railway station has six platforms for handling long-distance and passenger trains. A railway goods shed was also situated at the station. It was torn down in 2019. The station is located at Nagampadam which is at a distance of 2.5 km from Kottayam town.

Significance

Kottayam railway station is the nearest railway station which caters to famous tourist destinations like Kumarakom. Kottayam railway station is also used by pilgrims going to Sabarimala temple though Chengannur is the hub of Sabarimala.[5] During Sabarimala pilgrim (Mandala) season, state transport bus operates from this station.

Trains originating & terminating at Kottayam

Major trains

The major trains running along this route:

Express trains like New Delhi - Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Superfast Express, Kanyakumari - Dibrugarh Vivek Superfast Express (longest running train in India), Himsagar Express, Kanniyakumari - Pune Express, Amritha Express, Ernakulam-Velankanni express, Kollam–Tirupati Express, Palaruvi Express, Malabar Express, Parasuram Express, Rajya Rani Express, Venad Express etc run along through this route.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division". Indian Railways. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Station Code Index" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. 2023–24. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  3. ^ "SOUTHERN RAILWAY LIST OF STATIONS AS ON 01.04.2023 (CATEGORY- WISE)" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. 1 April 2023. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  4. ^ Fifty years in State ‘integration’
  5. ^ Sabarimala pilgrimage: Kottayam railway station offers better facilities for pilgrims Times of India