Overview of Railway Stations in Cochin

Everyday Indian railways serve millions of people by taking them to their destinations all over the country. People use Indian Railways both for daily and long distance travels. Indian Railways act as the lifeline of the country as it carries millions of tonnes of freight every year at very reasonable fares.

Cochin, or commonly known as Kochi, is a major cost city situated in Ernakulam district of Kerala in India. It is classified as a tier II city by the central government and is the most densely populated city of Kerala. Railways play an important role in the life of people of Cochin and Cochin has many railway stations serving the state. Cochin is a port city and is a premium centre of import and export to and from India. For this reason, Cochin needs a very good infrastructure of transportation to all the parts of the country.

The major railway stations in Cochin City are Ernakulam Junction (ERS), Ernakulam Town (ERN), Edappally Railway station (IPL), Aluva (AWY).

  • Ernakulam Junction –

Ernakulam Junction or ERS is also known as south station and is the main and largest station of Cochin City. There are six platforms in this station along with two terminals that are the main entry and eastern entry. The Junction has four lines from four directions meeting at this point. These four lines come from Shormur in North, Alappuzha in South, Willingdonn Island in South-west and Kottayam in East.

The Ernakulam Junction comes under the Southern Zone of Indian Railways and is controlled by Thiruvananthapuram Railway division. It is an A1 grade station of Southern Railways and there are around 128 trains either originating or terminating or passing from this station to other cities of India. It was the first station in Kerala to include an escalator in 2013.

Facilities at Ernakulam Station Are;

  • Escalator subway and elevator
  • Passenger Waiting Hall
  • Integrated Surveillance Post by Excise & Commercial Taxes Department
  • Railway Protection Force
  • Cyber Cafe
  • Online Reservation counters
  • Parcel Booking Office
  • Railway Mailing service (RMS) office
  • IRCTC Restaurants
  • Pre-Paid Parking space
  • Pre-Paid Auto-rickshaw counters
  • ATM
  • Foot Over Bridge

Ernakulam Junction also has a Diesel loco shed, which is the only loco shed in the entire state of Kerala. It was set up in 1982 and works with around 54 diesel locomotives per month.

  • Ernakulam Town Railway Station –

Ernakulam Town Railway Station or ERN, built in 1890, is also known as Ernakulam North and is one of the three major railway stations serving the city of Cochin. It has six platforms and four tracks for handling a large number of express and local passenger trains.

It is located in the northern part of the Cochin city and serves as a major stoppage for trains that are mainly headed towards Kottayam. This railway station provides convenience to the passengers that are travelling to and from the northern parts of Cochin City.

Facilities at Ernakulam Town Railway Station Are;

  • Computerised Unreserved Ticket Counter
  • Pre Paid Auto
  • Computerised Reservation Ticket Counter
  • Subways, Escalator and Foot Over-bridge

There are around 33 trains that pass through Ernakulam North Railway Station.

  • Aluva Railway station –

Aluva Railway Station or AWY is another major railway station in Cochin City and is the second busiest station in Kerala handling more than 30,000 passengers per day. It is an A grade station of Indian Railways, which fall sunder Thiruvananthapuram railway division.

Aluva railway station serves as an important halting point for many stations coming from different parts of the country. It is a convenient option for people who are travelling to and from Cochin International Airport. This railway station proves to be very helpful in reduction of congestion from Ernakulam north and Ernakulam south railway stations.

There are three platforms at Aluva railway station, which handle long distance and local passenger trains and one platform at this station is dedicated to cargo trains. There are around 53 express trains and 9 passenger trains that pass through Aluva station daily.

These are three major stations of the Cochin city, which serve as the lifeline of the city and are contributing greatly in the rapid growth and development of the city.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *