Varkala Sivagiri railway station

This article is about the railway station. For the Varkala, see Sivagiri, Kerala.

Varkala Sivagiri railway station (station code: VAK) is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone.^[3] is a major railway station in Kerala serving the town of Varkala and northern areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. It is the second-busiest railway station in the state capital district Thiruvananthapuram in terms of passenger movement and 14th busiest in Kerala State. Around 54 trains halts in this station which handled more than 17,730 passengers daily with 3 platforms. It is on Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line. Station is well connected to major metropolitan & tier 2 cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Goa etc.

6km
4miles

Varkala railway station

  

Varkala
Regional rail and Light rail station
General information
Location	SH64, Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala India
Coordinates	8.741°N 76.723°E / 8.741; 76.723
Elevation	58m
Owned by	Government of India
Operated by	Indian Railways
Line(s)	Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line
Platforms	3
Tracks	5
Connections	Varkala municipal bus station (opposite) Taxi stand Varkala Helipad(2km) National Waterway 3(Under renovation) Thiruvananthapuram International Airport(40km)
Construction
Structure type	Standard (on-ground station)
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	VAK
Zone(s)	Southern Railway zone
Division(s)	Thiruvananthapuram
Classification	NSG-4[1]
History
Opened	1918; 106 years ago (1918)
Rebuilt	1974; 50 years ago (1974)
Electrified	Yes, 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Previous names	Varkala railway station till 2005; 19 years ago (2005)
Passengers
2018–19	11,427/day[2] Annual passengers – 41,70,860
Rank	2nd in Thiruvananthapuram district, 14th in Kerala
Services
Preceding station Indian Railways Following station Edavai towards ? Southern Railway zone Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Akathumuri towards ?
Route map Kollam Junction–Thiruvananthapuram Central trunk line Legend km to Ernakulam to Sengottai 0 Kollam Junction Chinnakada overpass SP Office overpass 4.6 Eravipuram 8.9 Mayyanad Paravur Lake 12.4 Paravur Paravur town overpass Edava Lake 17.0 Kappil H. 19.9 Edava 23.7 Varkala Maithanam underpass 30.1 Akathumuri 32.8 Kadakkavoor Kadakkavoor overpass 35.9 Chirayinkeezhu 40.0 Perunguzhi 43.2 Murukkampuzha 47.2 Kaniyapuram Kazhakuttam overpass 51.3 Kazhakuttam 57.5 Kochuveli Chakka overpass 62.1 Pettah Kizhakkekotta overpass 64.6 Thiruvananthapuram Central to Nagercoil Junction This diagram: view talk edit
Location Varkala Location in Kerala Show map of Kerala Varkala Location in India Show map of India

Traffic

In 2023–24 FY about 41lakh passengers were passed through this station and make a profit of 20.12 cr. Varkala is the second-busiest railway station after Thiruvananthapuram Central. In close proximity to the station is Varkala Municipal Bus Station. It serves the people from northern part of entire Thiruvananthapuram district and southern part of Kollam district.

History

The metre-gauge railway line passing through the Varkala town was completed in 1917 and opened for traffic on 1 January 1918. The line was then up to Chakkai near Thiruvananthapuram. On 4 November 1931 it was extended to Thiruvananthapuram Central. Later, considering the steady increase in passenger traffic the metre-gauge was converted into broad-gauge which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 13 September 1977· There are two approach roads from Kallambalam and Parippally to Varkala railway station from the National Highway 66.

Name of the station

The station name used to be 'Varkala' till 2005. It was renamed "Varkala Sivagiri" after the samadhi of Sri Narayana Guru, situated in Varkala in the year 2005. Most of the trains are allowed temporary halt at this station during a week period of the famous "Sivagiri Theerthadanam" (Sivagiri Pilgrimage).

Significance

Varkala is a major commercial and industrial town in the district and also Varkala is the nearest major railway station for Attingal, Kilimanoor, Kallambalam, Chirayinkeezhu, Alamcode towns. Varkala Beach which is one of the popular tourist destination in India is at a distance of 3.1 km (1.9 mi) from the railway station. Sivagiri Mutt founded by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru is situated at the top of the Sivagiri hill in Varkala. Janardana Swami Temple is a Vaishnavite shrine which is estimated to be 2000 years old. Kappil Beach & Backwaters situated 8 km (5.0 mi) from Varkala is major tourist destination in Varkala.

Annual passenger earnings of Varkala railway station

Passenger Earnings

Year	Earnings (in crores)	Variation
2015–16	₹9.4484 crore (US$1.1 million)	NA
2016–17	₹9.8191 crore (US$1.2 million)	₹0.3707 crore (US$44,000)[4]
2017–18	₹10.4254 crore (US$1.2 million)	₹0.6063 crore (US$73,000)[5]
2018–19	₹11.1201 crore (US$1.3 million)	₹0.6947 crore (US$83,000)[6]
2019–20	₹11.5095 crore (US$1.4 million)	₹0.3894 crore (US$47,000)[7]
2020-21	₹2.0588 crore (US$250,000)	₹9.4507 crore (US$1.1 million)[8]
2021-22	₹7.4429 crore (US$890,000)	₹5.3841 crore (US$650,000)
2022-23	₹16.6935 crore (US$2.0 million)	₹9.2506 crore (US$1.1 million)[9]
2023-24	₹21.0747 crore (US$2.5 million)	₹4.3812 crore (US$520,000)

See also

• Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station
• Kappil railway station
• Kollam Junction railway station
• Paravur railway station
• Karunagappalli railway station
• Punalur
• Kazhakuttam railway station

References

1. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
2. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
3. "SOUTHERN RAILWAY LIST OF STATIONS AS ON 01.04.2023 (CATEGORY- WISE)" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. 1 April 2023. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
4. "Stations Profile 2017 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
5. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2017-18 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
6. "Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018-19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
7. "Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2019-20" (PDF). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
8. "Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2020-21" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2021.
9. "Annual originating passengers & earnings for the year 2022-23" (PDF). Retrieved 1 December 2023.

External links

• Media related to Varkala Sivagiri railway station at Wikimedia Commons