VisakhapatnamRailway Station is a major railway station located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is administered under South Coast Railway zone. In 2017, as part of Swachh Rail campaign, the Quality Council of India declared Visakhapatnam as the cleanest railway station in the country. The station is a major stop on the Howrah–Chennai main line. The city's railway station was originally called Waltair railway station. In around 1987, Mr. D. V. Subbarao, the then mayor of Visakhapatnam, changed the name to Visakhapatnam which is the largest railway station under then east coast railway and A1 category station. Visakhapatnam railway station is administered by the South Coast Railway of Indian Railways which is headquartered in Visakhapatnam and the same was announced on Feb 27 2019 by union railway minister Piyush Goyal.
Overview
The station is a terminal station; trains must go back the same way as they come. With many trains arriving at the same time platforms are not always available. In case any train is late, the other trains are stopped at Duvvada or Vizianagaram. The Route Relay Interlocking system, an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings, is reported to be one of the major causes for these trains being delayed after Duvvada Station. Over 5,000 people travel between Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad every day. To clear the rush, there are over 18 trains connecting Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad. The Godavari Express, one of the most prestigious trains of the South Central Railway is considered the best way between the cities. However, the rush for the train is too high, that tickets have to be booked before two months from the journey. It was one of the busiest stations when it was part of East Coast Railway zone. On average, every train has a minimum halt period of 20 minutes.
History
During 1893–1896, the long tracks covering the entire coastal stretch from Cuttack to Vijayawada, was built and opened to traffic by Bengal Nagpur Railway which was later renamed as South Eastern Railway.Bengal Nagpur Railway’s line to Cuttack was opened on 1 January 1899. The long northern portion of the East Coast line to Cuttack, including the branch line to Puri, was taken over by Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1902. The southern part was subsequently merged with Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway. East Coast Railway zone of Indian Railways came into existence in its present form with effect from 1 April 2003. The geographical jurisdiction of the railway is however extended over three states encompassing almost all parts of Orissa along with parts of Srikakulam, Vizainagaram and Visakhapatnam districts of North Eastern Andhra Pradesh, and Bastar and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh State. As such, these regions with a long coastal line are rich in mineral and other natural resources, and are on the threshold of an industrial upsurge.
Structure and amenities
The station is spread over an area of, maintained by 222 employees. The station has 08 platforms and all the tracks are broad gauge and electrified. Almost all platforms are in same size. The station has East and West terminals equipped with reservation counters and has Inter Model Transport Facility for Bus Station. It is a wheelchair friendly station where almost all platforms are accessible via ramp on foot over bridge. The station has modern escalators and wifi facilities provided by Railtel and Google
