Ernakulam Junction
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Ernakulam Junction
എറണാകുളം ജംഗ്ഷന് |
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| Express train and Passenger train station | |
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| Other names | Ernakulam South |
| Location | Kochi, Kerala, India |
| Coordinates | 9°58′08″N 76°17′30″E / 9.96885°N 76.29160°ECoordinates: 9°58′08″N 76°17′30″E / 9.96885°N 76.29160°E |
| Owned by | Indian Railways |
| Operated by | Southern Railway zone |
| Line(s) | Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam Ernakulam-Shoranur Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Kayamkulam Ernakulam Junction-Cochin Harbour Terminus |
| Platforms | 6 |
| Tracks | 12 |
| Construction | |
| Parking | Available |
| Bicycle facilities | available |
| Other information | |
| Station code | ERS |
| Fare zone | Southern Railway zone |
| Classification | A1 Class |
| History | |
| Opened | 1932 |
| Rebuilt | 1946 |
| Electrified | Yes |
| Traffic | |
| Passengers (2014–15) | 29,283 per day |
| Rank | 2 (in Kerala) 2 (in Trivandrum division) |
Ernakulam Junction railway station (also known as Ernakulam South, code: ERS) is a major railway junction station in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. At ₹158 crore (US$23 million), it is the second largest in terms in passenger revenues in Kerala and the fifth largest of the Southern Railway. It is an A1 classified station operated by the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways and comes under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division.
Ernakulam Jn was first opened as Ernakulam South in 1932 when the meter gauge line then terminating at Ernakulam (Old) Terminus (ERG) was extended from Pachalam to the Cochin Harbor Terminus (CHTS) Station on the Willingdon Island for proximity to the Kochi Port. Ernakulam North, Perumanur (later closed), Mattanchery Halt and CHTS were the newly opened stations on the route. In 1946 the station was converted into broad gauge as part of the Shoranur-CHTS line, linking it directly to the rest of India via the Mangalore-Jolarpet mainline at Shoranur Jn. In 1956 the Ernakulam-Kottayam meter gauge line was opened and further extended to Kollam in 1958, joining to the Kollam-Trivandrum line, connecting Ernakulam with Trivandrum for the first time.
Since the opening of the Kottayam line made it a junction, Ernakulam South was renamed Ernakulam Junction, and Ernakulam North was renamed Ernakulam Town. This was what made Ernakulam Jn rise to prominence, which was until then just a small wayside station en route to the much busier Cochin Harbour Terminus station. Until 1979 when the Kottayam line was converted into broad gauge, ERS had both broad and meter gauge tracks. As the coastal line to Alappuzha was opened in 1989, Ernakulam Jn rose to the status of the most premier railway station in central Kerala.
Ernakulam Jn is a railway junction with lines branching off from it to four different directions:
The station has six platforms to handle long distance trains and local trains and two entrances (the Main entry and the Eastern entry). Its A1 classification is the highest a station can achieve on Indian Railways. It does have all amenities expected out of a major junction including a paid air-conditioned lounge with free WiFi, a library, rest room, children's play areas etc. However, the station lacks the spread-out roominess and large built-up area of similarly large stations. Ernakulam Junction was the first railway station in Kerala to have an escalator. It was installed on 9 September 2013. Currently all its platforms are served by escalators.
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