imported>Colonies Chris at 13:09, 14 July 2021

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{{short description|A1 classified railway station in Kerala, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Ernakulam Junction
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = ml
| other_name = Ernakulam South
| style = Indian Railways
| type = [[Express trains in India|Express train]] and [[Slow and fast passenger trains in India|Passenger train]] station
| image = Ernakulam Junction Railway Station.jpg
| address = [[Kochi]], [[Kerala]], India
| coordinates = {{coord|9.96885|76.29160|type:railwaystation_region:IN|display=title,inline}}
| owned = [[Indian Railways]]
| operator = [[Southern Railway zone]]
| line = [[Ernakulam–Kottayam–Kayamkulam line]], [[Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section|Ernakulam–Shoranur]] [[Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal line|Ernakulam–Alappuzha–Kayamkulam]] Ernakulam Junction–Cochin Harbour Terminus
| platform = 6
| tracks = 10
| other =
| bicycle = available
| depth =
| disabled = {{Access icon|20px}}
| parking = Available
| structure =
| classification = A1 Class
| code = ERS
| zone = [[Southern Railway zone]]
| closed =
| opened = {{start date and age|1932}}
| rebuilt = {{start date and age|1946}}
| electrified = {{start date and age|2000}}
| passengers = 25,587 per day(2018–19)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1559554713747-ANNUAL%20EARNINGS.pdf |title=Annual originating passengers and earnings for the year 2018–19 - Thiruvananthapuram Division|publisher=Indian Railways |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref> Annual passengers – 93,39,152
| mpassengers =
| pass_system =
| pass_year = 2018–19
| pass_percent =
| pass_rank = 3 ''(in [[Kerala]])'' 2 ''(in [[Thiruvananthapuram railway division|Trivandrum division]])''
| services =
| map_locator =
| image_caption =
}}

'''Ernakulam Junction railway station''' (also known as '''Ernakulam South''', code: '''ERS''') is the biggest railway station in the city of [[Kochi]] in [[Kerala]], India. Despite being the busiest station in Kochi city by passenger traffic it only the third busiest station by the number of trains in Kochi city limits. The busiest by the number of trains is Aluva followed by Ernakulam town station.Controlling 376 train routes at a time, it is the busiest railway junction station in South India.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Ernakulam-Junction-Restrictions-on-train-traffic-from-Jan-30/articleshow/50712992.cms|title=Ernakulam Junction: Restrictions on train traffic from Jan 30|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=2017-09-28}}</ref> At {{INRConvert|158|c|year=2019}} in financial year 2018–19, it is the second largest in terms of passenger revenues in Kerala and the fifth largest in Southern Railway.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kerala railway stations ahead in passenger fare income|url=http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/kerala-railway-stations-ahead-in-passenger-fare-income.html|access-date=26 December 2016|work=[[Malayala Manorama]]|date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103063307/http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/kerala-railway-stations-ahead-in-passenger-fare-income.html|archive-date=3 January 2016|location=Thrissur}}</ref> It is an A1 classified station operated by the [[Southern Railway zone]] of the [[Indian Railways]] and comes under the [[Thiruvananthapuram railway division]]. Ernakulam Junction is also the first fully disabled-friendly railway station in India.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/ernakulam-is-india-s-1st-disabled-friendly-railway-station-thanks-to-this-resilient-woman-337375.html|title=Ernakulam Is India's 1st Disabled-Friendly Railway Station, Thanks To This Resilient Woman|work=[[India Times]]|access-date=2018-12-04}}</ref>

==Important trains originating from Ernakulam Junction==

The following trains starting from Ernakulam Junction station:

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="background:#fff;"
|-
!scope="col"| Train name
|-
| [[Ernakulam–H.Nizamuddin Duronto Express]]
|-
| [[Mangala Lakshadweep Express]]
|-
| [[Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Ernakulam Duronto Express]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Bilaspur Express]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Okha Express]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Banaswadi Superfast Express]]
|-
| [[Bangalore City–Ernakulam Intercity Express]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Patna Express (via Tirupati)]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Patna Express (via Chennai)]]
|-
| [[Howrah–Ernakulam Antyodaya Express]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Tatanagar Express (via Tirupati)]]
|-
| [[Vanchinad Express|Ernakulam–Trivandrum Vanchinad(via Kottayam)]]
|-
| [[Millennium Express|Ernakulam–Nizamudeen Millennium Express (via Konkan)]]
|-
| [[Marusagar Express]]
|-
| [[Raptisagar Express|Ernakulam-Barauni Raptisagar Express]]
|-
| [[Ernakulam–Kannur Intercity Express]]
|}

== History ==
Ernakulam Jn was first opened as Ernakulam South in 1932 when the metre-gauge line then terminating at [[Ernakulam Terminus railway station]] (ERG) was extended from Pachalam to the [[Cochin Harbour Terminus]] 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 Junction railway station|Shoranur Jn]]. In 1956 the Ernakulam–Kottayam metre-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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/Before-and-after-the-Jayanti-Janata/article14479828.ece|title=Before and after the Jayanti Janata|last=PRADEEP|first=K.|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=2016-12-19}}</ref> Until 1979 when the Kottayam line was converted into broad gauge, ERS had both broad and metre-gauge tracks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irfca.org/gallery/Heritage/india_08.jpg.html|title=Ernakulam Jn in 1976|publisher=IRFCA}}</ref> As the [[Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal line|coastal line]] to Alappuzha was opened in 1989, Ernakulam Jn rose to the status of the most premier railway station in central Kerala.

== Layout ==
Ernakulam Jn is a railway junction with lines branching off from it to four different directions:
* North towards Chennai/Bangalore (via Palakkad) and Mumbai (via Shoranur–Kozhikode)
* South towards Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha–Kollam
* South-west towards [[Willingdon Island]] and [[Cochin Harbour Terminus]] (CHTS)
* East towards Thiruvananthapuram via Kottayam–Kollam
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/Willingdon-island-to-be-developed-as-grain-storage-hub/2013/09/10/article1776824.ece|title='Willingdon island to be developed as grain storage hub'|date=10 September 2013|work=The New Indian Express|access-date=20 September 2014}}</ref> Currently all its platforms are served by escalators.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

www.irctc.com
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/ Southern Railway zone]
*{{IndiaRailInfo|52}}

{{Kochi (India)}}
{{Thiruvananthapuram railway division}}
{{Top 100 booking stations of Indian Railways}}

[[Category:Railway junction stations in Kerala]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Kochi]]
[[Category:Railway stations opened in 1932]]
[[Category:Thiruvananthapuram railway division]]

Ernakulam Junction railway station - Revision history

imported>Colonies Chris at 13:09, 14 July 2021