Shoranur Junction railway station

Shoranur Junction is the railway station located at Shoranur, Palakkad District, Kerala. It comes under the Palakkad Railway Division of the Southern Railway. It is the largest railway station in the state of Kerala. It is an important junction because it is the point at which the line from Chennai via Jolarpettai, Erode and Palakkad meets the coastal line from Mangalore to Kanyakumari. Further, Shoranur junction is the node from which a separate Branch line goes to the town of Nilambur, about 66 km to the north. The Nilambur–Shoranur line, which connects two tiny hill-towns, is one of the most picturesque in India.

Shoranur Junction
Regional rail, Light rail, Commuter rail and Goods railway station
Shoranur Junction
Location	Shoranur, Kerala India
Coordinates	10.759°N 76.271°E / 10.759; 76.271
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	Southern Railway zone
Line(s)	Jolarpettai - Shoranur railway line Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Nilambur–Shoranur railway line Shoranur–Mangalore section
Platforms	7
Tracks	13
Connections	Taxi Stand,Auto Service,Shoranur Bus Stand
Construction
Structure type	Standard (on ground station)
Parking	Available
Other information
Station code	SRR[1]
History
Opened	April 14, 1862 (1862-04-14)
Electrified	Yes
Route map km to Nilambur Road   Kozhikode  Shoranur Junction  Palakkad Junction   1 Bharathapuzha Halt Bharathappuzha PGT limits TVC limits 4 Vallathol Nagar 8 Mullurkara 17 Wadakkanchery 24 Mulankunnathukavu to Guruvayur 31 Punkunnam 33 Thrissur 40 Ollur 47 Pudukad Karuvannur River 50 Nellayi 57 Irinjalakuda 63 Chalakudi Chalakudy River 65 Divine Nagar 69 Koratty 74 Karukutty 78 Angamaly 84 Chovvara Periyar (river) 88 Aluva 94 Kalamassery 98 Edappally 104 Ernakulam Town to Kottayam 106 Ernakulam C Cabin 107 Ernakulam Junction to Alappuzha
Location
Shoranur Junction Location within India Show map of India Shoranur Junction Shoranur Junction (Kerala) Show map of Kerala

Introduction

The station is situated at the junction of four major railway lines - the Nilambur line from the north, Palakkad line from the east, Kanyakumari line from the south and Mangalore line from the North-west. Being the entry point into the Malabar region from the rest of the state, Shoranur is often referred as the gateway to Malabar. It comes under the Palakkad Railway Division of the Southern Railway. Shoranur is the second railway station in Kerala after Trivandrum Central Railway Station to introduce Clean train station activity, whereby trains stopping at the station for more than 15 minutes would be subjected to mechanized cleaning and garbage removal.[2] Lifts from platforms has also been proposed,As a pilot project She toilet has also been introduced. A baby care unit was opened in Ladies waiting Hall on PF .2/3

History

The history of Shoranur Railway Station dates back to the 19th century when the railways first made inroads into Malabar. The station became operational with the opening of Pattambi - Podanur line on 14 April 1862.[3] The importance of the station increased with the opening of the Shoranur - Eranakulam line in 1902. The final addition to the railway infrastructure of Shoranur came with the opening of Nilambur road line in 1927.[4]

Layout

There are 7 platforms at the station for handling long and short distance trains.[5] platforms 1, 2 and 3 mainly handle passenger trains originating from the station, while platforms 4, 5, 6 and 7 cater to long-distance express trains. There is only a single terminal which is located towards the northern side of the station.

Location

The station is located on the Shoranur ring road. The Shoranur Municipal Bus Stand located 500 m away, provides bus services to Ottapalam, Thrissur, Pattambi, Cherpulassery, Chelakkara, Mannarkkad, Perinthalmanna and Kunnamkulam. The second Municipal stand at Kulappully , located 2 km from the station, handles bus services to Palakkad, Guruvayur, Ponnani and Valanchery.

Triangular station

There is a long-standing demand for an Island station along the link line that bye passes the Shoranur Junction railway station 1 km to the east. Construction of such a station is expected to help the passengers from Malabar access many long distance trains that at present passes through the outskirts of station.[6][7]

Trivia

• Shoranur was visited by Swami Vivekananda in 1892 during his Kerala tour. It is believed that the Banyan tree which stands between platform numbers two and three was planted by him after addressing a public gathering.[8]
• The "Old Cochin bridge" which connected Shoranur to Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur district was the original railway bridge that connected Malabar to The Princely State Of Cochin . With the construction of the current railway bridge, the bridge started to be used exclusively for road transport.[9][10]

See also

• Shoranur
• Southern Railway Zone (India)
• Indian Railways

References

1. station code index
2. "Southern Railway introduces clean train station activity at Shoranur junction". Times of India.
3. "Salient Features of Palghat Division" (PDF).
4. "Railways cross a milestone". The Hindu. 12 April 2010.
5. "SRR/Shoranur Junction (7 PFs) Railway Station - Train Arrival Timings". India Rail Info.
6. "MP urges Railways to improve facilities". The Hindu. 27 June 2016.
7. "The Hindu : Kerala News : `No plan for triangular or bulb station at Shoranur'". www.thehindu.com.
8. Riding God's Axe. Wordizen Books. ISBN 9352013603.
9. "A bridge to Kochi's past lies in ruins". The Hindu. 20 September 2013.
10. "Oblivion awaits historic bridge". The Hindu. 15 July 2016.

External links