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.

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. 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. 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.

Layout

There are 7 platforms at the station for handling long and short distance trains. 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.

Trivia