Kollam Junction railway station explained

Kollam Junction
Native Name:
Quilon Junction
Type: Indian Railways station
Style:Indian Railways
Address:Kollam, Kollam District, Kerala
Country:India
Elevation:6.74m (22.11feet)
Line:QLN–TVC
QLNERS (via ALLP and KTYM)
QLN–SCT (via PUU)
Other:,
Structure:Standard (on-ground station)
Platform:6 (1A,1,2,3,4,5)
Levels:01
Tracks:17
Parking: (T1: 100+ cars, T2: 750 cars)
Electrified:
25 kV AC 50 Hz
Classification:NSG-3
Owned:Indian Railways
Operator:Southern Railway zone
Former:Quilon Junction railway station
Years:1902:-
1 Jun 1904:-
1 Jan 1918:-
6 Jan 1958:-
23 Nov 1975:-
2001:-
10 May 2010:-
1 Dec 2013:-
2 Mar 2019
Events:Goods trains service started
Station with MG line opened
Quilon–Chala service started
Became a Junction railway station
BG services to Ernakulam started
Line electrification completed
KollamPunalur BG line opened
Kollam MEMU Shed opened
Terminal-2 opened
Status:Functioning
Passengers:23,479 per day[1]
Pass Rank:4 (in Kerala)
3 (in Trivandrum division)
Pass Year:2018–19
Map State:collapsed
Coordinates:8.886°N 76.5951°W
Map Type:India Kollam#Kerala#India
Map Dot Label:Kollam Junction railway station
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Caption:Interactive map

Kollam Junction railway station (station code: QLN[2]) is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone.[3]) It is a junction station situated in the city of Kollam in Kerala, India. It is the second largest railway station in Kerala in terms of area and largest in terms of number of tracks and one of the oldest railway stations in the state.It is also the second busiest railway station in Kerala in terms of trains handled per day. World's third longest railway platform is situated at Kollam railway station.[4] [5] [6]

Kollam Junction lies on Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line. It is operated by the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways and comes under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division. The annual passenger ticket revenue of Kollam railway station is and 23,048 is the daily ridership through this station.[7] It is one among the few railway stations in Kerala having two terminals with ticket counter facility. Four express trains have been originating from Kollam Junction railway station to South Indian cities of Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati: Visakhapatnam–Kollam Express (weekly),[8] Anantapuri Express (daily),[9] Chennai Egmore–Kollam Junction Express (daily),[10] and Kollam–Tirupati Express (weekly).[11]

History

Kollam was the fifth city in Kerala to be connected to the nascent Indian Railways. The idea of a rail link from Chennai to Kollam, then the trading capital of the Travancore Kingdom was first conceived in 1873. The line was sanctioned by the Madras Presidency in 1899 and a survey completed in 1900. The railway line was built jointly by South Indian railway, Travancore state and the Madras Presidency. Kollam's (Anglicized Quilon) railway station was built in 1904 by Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma, Maharaja of Travancore. It was the ruler's desire to create a rail link between Quilon, the then commercial capital of his State and Madras.[12] The metre-gauge line from Quilon to Punalur was inaugurated on 1June 1904. The Quilon-Sengottai railway line was inaugurated on 26November 1904. The meter gauge line was later extended to Chala at Trivandrum via Paravur and Varkala and inaugurated on 4January 1918[13] Fund allotted for the extension of meter gauge railway line from Quilon to Ernakulam via on 1952 and is inaugurated on 6January 1958.[14] [15] The metre-gauge lines between Kollam and Ernakulam were converted to broad gauge in 1975 and inaugurated on 13September 1976. The broad gauge conversion between the Punalur and Quilon sections was inaugurated on 12May 2010.

There was once a metre-gauge line connecting Quilon Junction and Ashramam Maidan. During the inauguration of the Kollam-Punalur metre-gauge line in 1904, parts of locomotives which were to be used for Quilon–Schencottah line were shipped to Quilon Port from Tuticorin Port. They were assembled at the Ashramam Maidan, which was an open ground. The line was laid to carry these locomotives to the main station. The line was dismantled in 2000 to allow for city expansion. There was also a turntable in Kollam Junction railway station till 2015. Indian Railways removed it to pave way for the developments related to MEMU Shed.[16]

Layout

There are a total of 17 tracks in the Kollam railway station, 2 lines are passing through the MEMU shed. The station has 6 platforms for handling long distance, passenger, MEMU & goods trains. The platform 1 is divided into two sections. Platform 1A handles the trains to PunalurSengottai line and platform 1 handles trains towards Trivandrum Central. The platform 1 and 1A together have a length of 1,180.5 m making them together the third longest railway platform in India.[17] The station has an MEMU shed which is situated near to Platform 1A. An FCI godown owned and operated by Food Corporation of India is also situated near Kollam junction.

Location

Surrounding transport hubs:

Kollam Curve

The initial railway line extended from Kollam to Shengottai, oriented in an east-west direction, resulting in the railway station's alignment accordingly. Subsequently, the Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram route, which traverses in a north-south direction, was introduced. Approaching from the Thiruvananthapuram side, this route necessitates a sharp turn to enter the station.

The bend is approximately eight degrees[18] Consequently, the maximum speed for trains entering Kollam station from the Thiruvananthapuram side and departing in the same direction is restricted to 30 kmph[19]

Annual passenger earnings

The annual passenger earnings from Kollam railway station shows a steady growth for several decades.[20]

Passenger earnings!Year!Earnings
(in crores)!Variation
2011–12NA
2012–13
2013–14
2014–15
2015–16
2016–17[21] [22]
2017–18[23]
2018–19[24]
2019–20[25]
2020–21[26]
2021–22
2022–23[27]
2023–24[28]

MEMU Shed

See main article: Kollam MEMU Shed. Kollam MEMU Shed is constructed at a cost of, for Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) rakes. It was formally commissioned on 1 December 2013, five years after its completion.[29] Now the railways is operating three pairs of KollamErnakulam (via Alappuzha and Kottayam)[30] via both the routes and a KollamKanyakumari[31] (via Trivandrum, Nagercoil) & Kollam - Punalur services from Kollam. Kollam MEMU Shed is the largest MEMU Shed in Kerala, which is equipped with most modern facilities.

Services

There are four express train services originating from Kollam Junction, viz., Kollam–Visakhapatnam Express,[32] Anantapuri Express, Kollam Junction–Chennai Egmore Express and Kollam–Tirupati Express. The services connect Chennai Egmore, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam cities with Kollam.[33]

Major trains halting at Kollam Junction

Future

Kollam Junction is one among the 25 stations in the country selected for first phase redevelopment at international standards along with Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town stations.

The modernization works of the old terminal including works for lifts, escalators, new air conditioned waiting area etc. has been initiated in the railway station will be completed with in 19 months .[34] [35]

Google's High-speed Wi-Fi serviceKollam is among the first 100 railway stations in India selected for providing high-speed Wi-Fi services by Google, named as ‘Project Nilgiri’. There are 5 railway stations from Kerala in the initial stage.[36] [37] [38] [39] [40] The service inaugurated at Kollam station on 26 December 2016 by Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister of India, through video conferencing.[41] [42] [43] [44] [45]
Kollam Junction to get modernization of international standardsOn 18 September 2019, Indian Railways assured the modernization of Kollam Junction railway station to international standards. Kollam is one of the five railway stations in Kerala to be modernized.[46]

Other suburban railway stations nearby

No.StationCodeAreaDistance from Kollam Jn.
1PRNDNorth Kollam9.1 km
2MQONorth Kollam14.1 km
3KLQEast Kollam5.6 km
4ChandanathoppeCTPEEast Kollam7.3 km
5KUVEast Kollam12.7 km
6IRPSouth Kollam4.6 km
7MYYSouth Kollam8.9 km
8PVUSouth Kollam12.4 km

Incidents

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2019-20 – Thiruvananthapuram Division. Indian Railways . 18 January 2021.
  2. Web site: Station Code Index . Portal of Indian Railways . Centre For Railway Information Systems . 26 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240216225807/https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/coaching/TAG_2023-24/Station_Code_Index.pdf . 16 February 2024 . 6 . 2023–24.
  3. Web site: SOUTHERN RAILWAY LIST OF STATIONS AS ON 01.04.2023 (CATEGORY- WISE) . Portal of Indian Railways . Centre For Railway Information Systems . 26 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240323095403/https://sr.indianrailways.gov.in/cris//uploads/files/1686913242750-SR%20-LIST%20OF%20STATIONS-2023.pdf . 23 March 2024 . 2 . 1 April 2023.
  4. Web site: At a glance: Longest railway platforms in India . Railnewscenter . 25 February 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150225073235/http://www.railnewscenter.com/2015/01/at-glance-longest-railway-platforms-in.html . 25 February 2015 .
  5. Web site: The Top 6 Longest Railway Platforms of India . Walk through India . 25 February 2015.
  6. News: West Bengal: tea plantations and other Raj-era relics . 2 November 2014 . 21 December 2018.
  7. News: Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2017–18 – Thiruvananthapuram Division. Indian Railways . 11 September 2018.
  8. Web site: Timings of new trains announced . . 22 October 2018.
  9. Web site: Engine of Ananthapuri Express catches fire at Kollam station . Times of India. 17 July 2018 . 22 October 2018.
  10. Web site: After 19 years, Chennai–Kollam regular train service to resume from Monday . The New Indian Express. 3 March 2019 . 3 March 2019.
  11. Web site: Bi-weekly Kollam-Tirupati express flagged off on Tuesday . 2024-03-25 . english.mathrubhumi.com.
  12. News: A station of yore, its golden links . . Kollam . 16 November 2012 . 21 December 2018.
  13. News: Railways cross a milestone . https://web.archive.org/web/20100501011446/http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/12/stories/2010041258441300.htm . dead . 1 May 2010 . 12 April 2010 . . 21 December 2018.
  14. News: Parliamentary Debates . eparlib.nic.in . 2 June 1952 . 4 November 2019.
  15. News: Parliamentary Debates . eparlib.nic.in . New Delhi . 9 June 1952 . 25 November 2019.
  16. News: Quilon – IRFCA . 31 October 2019.
  17. Web site: West Bengal: Tea Plantations and Other Raj-Era Relics. The Independent . 6 June 2019.
  18. Web site: Daily . Keralakaumudi . 60 curves in this district hindering leap of Vande Bharat in Kerala . 2024-06-15 . Keralakaumudi Daily . en.
  19. News: 2010-08-09 . Caution on speed of trains at station . 2024-06-15 . The Hindu . en-IN . 0971-751X.
  20. Web site: Station Redevelopment Plan – Kollam Junction . Indian Railways . 10 July 2017.
  21. Web site: Stations Profile 2017 – Thiruvananthapuram Division. Indian Railways . 14 March 2018.
  22. Web site: RTI reply about Annual Passenger Ticket Revenue 2015–16: Kollam Junction . Indian Railways . 10 July 2017.
  23. Web site: Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2017–18 – Thiruvananthapuram Division. Indian Railways . 11 September 2018.
  24. Web site: Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018–19 – Thiruvananthapuram Division. Indian Railways . 6 June 2019.
  25. Web site: Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2019-20 . 18 January 2021.
  26. Web site: Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2020-21 . 30 August 2021.
  27. Web site: Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2022-23 . 18 September 2023.
  28. Web site: Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2022-23 . 18 September 2023.
  29. MEMU Maintenance Work Begins in Kollam Kollam MEMU Shed
  30. MEMU service flagged off Kollam-Ernakulam MEMU
  31. MEMU service flagged off in Kollam Kollam-Kanyakumari MEMU
  32. Web site: Timings of new trains announced . . 12 March 2019.
  33. Web site: After 19 years, Chennai–Kollam regular train service to resume from Monday . The New Indian Express. 3 March 2019 . 12 March 2019.
  34. Web site: Kollam second terminal by October . The Hindu . Kollam . 31 May 2018 . 1 June 2018.
  35. Web site: New entry for rail station . . 12 February 2016.
  36. Web site: These 5 Railway stations in Kerala will first get Google's Wi-Fi! Is your city among the list? . 9 October 2015.
  37. Web site: Experience high speed Wi-Fi at Trivandrum Central railway station . 30 October 2016 . 31 October 2016.
  38. News: Central station is Wi-Fi hotspot now – The Hindu . The Hindu . 29 October 2016 . 31 October 2016.
  39. Web site: Surf the rail net for free from Thiruvananthapuram statio. The New Indian Express . 29 October 2016 . 31 October 2016.
  40. News: Wi-Fi in three more Kerala railway stations soon – The Hindu . The Hindu . 27 April 2016 . 31 October 2016.
  41. Web site: Free Wi-Fi service at 100 railway stations, Kollam latest to be enabled . 27 December 2016 . 27 December 2016.
  42. Web site: Railway WiFi: 100 stations now WiFi enabled, another 300 planned for 2017 . . 27 December 2016 . 27 December 2016.
  43. Web site: Free Wi-Fi service at 100 railway stations . The dayafter . 27 December 2016 . 28 December 2016.
  44. Web site: Free Wi-Fi service at 100 railway stations, including Kollam . Mathrubhumi . 27 December 2016 . 28 December 2016.
  45. Web site: Free Wi-Fi service now available at 100 railway stations across India, 400 stations to be covered next year . Economic Times . 27 December 2016 . 28 December 2016.
  46. Web site: Railway rejects Kerala's demands; no extra trains, no extension of services . English Mathrubhumi . 19 September 2019 . 19 September 2019.
  47. Web site: TVM-Kollam passenger train derails, no casualties . 6 July 2018 . 21 December 2018.