Southern Railway zone
Narrow gauge | |
Length | 5,081 km (3,157 mi) route[1] |
---|---|
Other | |
Website | Southern Railway |
Southern Railway (SR) is one of the
History
The history of the Southern Railway can be traced back to the
In 1944, all the railway companies operating in
Organisation
Southern Railway zone covers the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh.[8] Andaman and Nicobar will form part of the zone once the proposed new railway line between Port Blair and Diglipur becomes operational.[9]
The Southern Railway is headed by the General Manager, assisted by an Additional General Manager. Southern Railway is headquartered in Chennai and is divided into six divisions namely
Name of Division | Established | Headquarters | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Bezwada | 6-May-1956 | Vijaywada
|
Moved to SCR in 1966 and SCoR in 2019 |
Madurai | 6-May-1956 | Madurai | |
Tiruchirappalli | 6-May-1956 | Tiruchirappalli | |
Madras | 1-August-1956 | Chennai | |
Palakkad | 4-August-1956 | Palakkad | previously known as Olavacode |
Guntakal | 10-October-1956 | Guntakal | Moved to SCR in 1977 and SCoR in 2019 |
Mysore | 31-October-1956 | Mysuru
|
Moved to SWR in 2003 |
Hubli
|
31-October-1956 | Hubli | Moved to SCR in 1966 and SWR in 2003 |
Bangalore | 31-October-1971 | Bangalore | Moved to SWR in 2003 |
Thiruvananthapuram | 2-October-1979 | Thiruvananthapuram | |
Salem | 14-November-2001 | Salem |
Operations and infrastructure
The zone operates both passenger and freight trains. Various classes of passenger trains including Vande Bharat Express, Shatabdi Express and Tejas Express are operated by Southern Railways.[10] Freight operations include container traffic from the ports, coal bound to the thermal power stations, oil and petroleum products from refineries, cement and food grains. Most of the lines inside ports, thermal stations, manufacturing industries and owned by the respective companies and the zone provides a link connecting to its network along with the wagons and locomotives. The zone has a larger proportion of passenger traffic compared to freight.[11][12] There are about 727 stations on the Southern railway network.[13]
Locomotives
Southern Railway utilizes various classes of
Name | Location | Type | Locomotive class | Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
Electric Loco Shed, Arakkonam | Arakkonam | Electric | WAP-4, WAG-5, WAG-9 | 171 |
Electric Loco Shed, Erode | Erode | Electric | WAP-4, WAP-7, WAG-7 | 205 |
Electric Loco Shed, Royapuram | Chennai | Electric | WAP-7 | 109 |
Diesel Loco Shed, Ernakulam | Ernakulam | Diesel,Electric | WDM-3A, WDG-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-4, WAG-5 | 68 |
Diesel Loco Shed, Erode | Erode | Diesel | WDM-3D, WAP-1, WAP-4, WAG-5, WAG-7 | 132 |
Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock | Tiruchirappalli | Diesel | WDM-3A, WDG-3A, WDP-3A, WDM-3D, WDP-4, WDG-4, YDM-4 | 148 |
Diesel Loco Shed, Tondiarpet | Chennai | Diesel | WDM-3A, WDG-3A, WDM-7, WDS-6, WDG-4 | 53 |
Coonoor Loco Shed, Coonoor | Coonoor | Steam, Diesel | X Class, YDM-4 |
Maintenance and workshops
Southern Railway maintains wagon and locomotive workshops at
Railway coaches and wagons
Southern Railways uses both ICF coaches and LHB coaches for its trains. ICF coaches manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai have been used predominantly for over sixty years since the formation of the zone in 1951.[20] The ICF coaches are being slowly replaced by the newer LHB rakes which provide better passenger comfort and safety.[21][22]
Railway lines
Following are the list of railway lines operational.[23]
Defunct railway lines include
Trains
Southern Railways operates 41 sets of
Stations
There are about 727 stations on the Southern railway network including 486 non suburban stations, 74 suburban stations and 166 halt stations. The major and highest revenue earning stations are Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Tambaram, Coimbatore Junction, Madurai Junction, Thiruvananthapuram Central and Ernakulam Junction.[13]
Chennai Suburban
Chennai Suburban Railway is the commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, operated by the Southern Railways. The system operates four lines with a track length of 1,174.21 km (729.62 mi), of which 509.71 km (316.72 mi) are dedicated dual tracks for EMUs.[33][34]
Line | Start | End | Type | Length | Stations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Line | Chennai Central | Sullurpeta | Suburban | 82 km (51 mi) | 30 |
South Line | Chennai Beach | Chengalpattu | Suburban | 60 km (37 mi) | 50 |
West Line | Chennai Beach | Tiruttani | Suburban | 69 km (43 mi) | 57 |
Chennai MRTS
|
Chennai Beach | Velachery | MRTS | 19 km (12 mi) | 25 |
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
See also
- Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
- All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA)
References
- ^ "Southern Railway vital statistics" (PDF). Southern Railway. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Understanding Indian Railway Heritage (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. p. 6. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- New Indian Express. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "On Forgotten Road". The Times of India. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Third oldest railway station in country set to turn 156". Indian Railways. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-8-1250-2731-7.
- ^ Evolution of Indian Railways-Historical Background (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Southern Railways, about us". Southern Railway. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- Indian Express. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Southern Railways". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Southern Railway punctuality and fiscal performance hit". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ "Southern Railway's financial and operational performance dips". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Southern Railway stations" (PDF) (pdf). Indian Railways. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Coonoor loco shed opened for tourists". The Hindu. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Sheds and Workshops – Southern Railway". IRFCA. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Three ISO certificates for MEMU maintenance shed". The Hindu. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Memu rakes yet to reach Kerala". Deccan Chronicle. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Ticket to the Past". The Hindu. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- Times of India. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Is It Time for Indian Railways to Tear Up Ageing Tracks and Old Machinery?". Zee Media Corporation. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Ayyappan, V. (4 January 2021). "Leakage Found in ICF Coaches". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Debroy, Bibek (9 February 2018). "A 70-Year-Old Vs a 30-Year-Old: LHB Coaches Perform Better than ICF Ones". Business Standard. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Southern Railway Route Map (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Remains of Kundala Valley Railway, Munnar". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Cochin State Forest Tramway". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Madras Tramways – FIBIwiki". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Kulasekharapatnam Tissainvillai Light Railway – FIBIwiki". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Morappur-Dharmapuri-Hosur Railway – FIBIwiki". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Tirupattur-Krishnagiri Railway – FIBIwiki". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "South Indian Railway 1909". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "[IRFCA] Mysteries of a Defunct Ropeway". FIBIS. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Transport in Chennai (PDF) (Report). Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. p. 4. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ Project Brief of Chennai Metro Rail (PDF) (Report). Chennai Metro. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Nilgiri Mountain railway". Indianrailway.gov.in. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Mountain Railways of India". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 30 April 2006.
- ^ "he Nilgiri Mountain Railway as old as the hills". The Hindu. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2023.