Southern Railway (abbreviated SR) is one of the 18 zones of Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Chennai and operates across the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh and the union territory of Puducherry. It maintains about of railway lines and operates 727 railway stations.
The origin of the Southern Railway can be traced back to the mid-19th century. In 1835, the first railway track in India was constructed in Madras and became operational in 1837. The Madras Railway was formally established later in 1845. The Southern Railway was created on 14 April 1950 by merging three state railways, namely, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company, and the Mysore State Railway and became the first railway zone of the Indian Railways.
History
thumb|upright=0.8|left|Map of South Indian Railway in 1910
The history of the Southern Railway can be traced back to the Madras Railway. In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made by the British. In 1835, the railway track was constructed between Little Mount and Chintadripet in Madras and became operational in 1837. The Madras Railway was established later in 1845 and the construction on the first main line between Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational in 1856. In 1908, Madras Railway merged with Southern Mahratta Railway to form the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway.
In 1944, all the railway companies operating in British India were taken over by the Government. Post Independence, various re-grouping proposals were studied as there were 42 different railway systems. In December 1950, the Central Advisory Committee for Railways approved the plan for Indian Railways into six zonal systems and the Southern Railway zone was created on 14 April 1950 by merging three state railways, namely, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company, and the Mysore State Railway.
Organisation
thumb|Southern Railway headquarters in [[Chennai]]
Southern Railway zone covers the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka.
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 Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Palakkad, Salem and Thiruvananthapuram. There are about 727 stations on the Southern railway network.
Locomotives
thumb|A [[Electric Loco Shed, Erode|Erode WAP-7 locomotive of Southern Railway]]
thumb|A [[Nilgiri Mountain Railway X class|X class locomotive of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway]]
Southern Railway utilizes various classes of electric and diesel locomotives to haul the trains. Steam locomotives are used by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The zone has three electric locomotive sheds and four diesel locomotive sheds.
{|class="sortable wikitable"style="text-align:left;"style="font-size: 85%"
|-
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Name
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Location
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Type
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Locomotive class
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"|Count
|-
| Electric Loco Shed, Arakkonam
| Arakkonam
| Electric
| WAP-4, WAG-5, WAG-9
| 184
|-
| Electric Loco Shed, Erode
| Erode
| Electric
| WAP-4, WAP-7, WAG-7
| 211
|-
| Electric Loco Shed, Royapuram
| Chennai
| Electric
| WAP-5, WAP-7
| 122
|-
| Diesel Loco Shed, Ernakulam
| Ernakulam
| Diesel
| WDM-3A, WDG-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-4, WDG-4D
| 39
|-
| Diesel Loco Shed, Erode
| Erode
| Electric
| WAP-1, WAP-4, WAG-5, WAG-7
| 145
|-
| Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock
| Tiruchirappalli
| Diesel
| WDG-3A, WDP-3A, WDM-3D, WDP-4, WDG-4, YDM-4, WDS-6, WDM-7
| 152
|-
| Diesel Loco Shed, Tondiarpet
| Chennai
| Diesel
| WDM-3A, WDG-3A, WDS-6, WDG-4, WDG-4D
| 55
|-
| Coonoor Loco Shed, Coonoor
| Coonoor
| Steam, Diesel
| X Class, YDM-4
|
|}
Maintenance and workshops
Southern Railway maintains wagon and locomotive workshops at Perambur, Chennai and Ponmalai, Tiruchirapalli, engineering workshop at Arakkonam, carriage maintenance workshops at Basin Bridge and Egmore and a signal and telecommunication workshop at Podanur, Coimbatore. It has three EMU car sheds in Chennai at Avadi, Tambaram, Velachery and MEMU sheds at Kollam and Palakkad. Southern Railway maintains trip sheds at Basin Bridge, Egmore, Tondiarpet and Jolarpettai.
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. The ICF coaches are slowly being replaced by newer LHB rakes which provide better passenger comfort and safety.
Railway lines
Following are the list of railway lines operational.
<!-- Pl do not include under construction lines -->
{|class="sortable wikitable"style="text-align:left;"style="font-size: 85%"
|-
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Line
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Start
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| End
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Type
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Gauge
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Electrified
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| No. of Lines
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Speed limit
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Length
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Major stations
|-
| Chennai Central-Jolarpettai
| Chennai Central
| Jolarpettai
| Main
| Broad
| Yes
| 2 (4 till Arakkonam)
|
|
| Arakkonam
|-
| Chennai Central-Renigunta
| Chennai Central
| Renigunta
| Main
| Broad
| Yes
| 2 (4 till Arakkonam)
|
|
| Arakkonam
|-
| Chennai Central-Gudur
| Chennai Central
| Gudur
| Main
| Broad
| Yes
| 2
|
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal line
| Ernakulam
| Kayamkulam
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
| Alappuzha
|-
| Ernakulam–Kottayam–Kayamkulam line
| Ernakulam
| Kayamkulam
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 2
|
| 156 km (97 mi)
| Kottayam, Chengannur
|-
| Kollam-Sengottai line
| Kollam
| Sengottai
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram line
| Kollam
| Thiruvanathapuram Central
| Main
| Broad
| Yes
| 2
|
|
| Kochuveli
|-
| Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil–Kanyakumari line
| Thiruvanathapuram Central
| Kanniyakumari
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
| Nagercoil
|-
| Nagercoil - Tirunelveli
| Nagercoil
| Tirunelveli
| Main
| Broad
| Yes
| 2
|
|
|
|-
| Tenkasi-Tiruchendur
| Tenkasi
| Tiruchendur
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Tenkasi-Sengottai
| Tenkasi
| Sengottai
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Irugur-Podanur
| Irugur
| Podanur
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Dindigul-Pollachi
| Dindigul
| Pollachi
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
| Palani
|-
| Podanur-Pollachi
| Podanur
| Pollachi
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Palakkad–Pollachi line
| Palakkad
| Pollachi
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Salem-Mettur Dam
| Salem
| Mettur Dam
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 2
|
|
|
|-
| Salem-Virudhachalam
| Salem
| Virudhachalam
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Cuddalore-Thanjavur
| Cuddalore
| Thanjavur
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
| Mayiladuthurai
|-
| Cuddalore-Virudhachalam
| Cuddalore
| Virudhachalam
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Villupuram-Puducherry
| Villupuram
| Puducherry
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Villupuram-Katpadi
| Villupuram
| Katpadi
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
| Tiruvannamalai
|-
| Thanjavur-Karaikal
| Thanjavur
| Karaikal
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
| Nagapattinam
|-
| Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur
| Mayiladuthurai
| Thiruvarur
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Arakkonam-Chengalpattu
| Arakkonam
| Chengalpattu
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Nagapattinam-Velankanni
| Nagapattinam
| Velankanni
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Madurai-Bodinayakkanur
| Madurai
| Bodinayakkanur
| Branch
| Broad
| Yes
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Thiruvarur-Tiruturaipundi
| Thiruvarur
| Tiruturaipundi
| Branch
| Broad
| No
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Karaikkudi-Tiruturaipundi
| Karaikkudi
| Tiruturaipundi
| Branch
| Broad
| No
| 1
|
|
|
|-
| Tiruturaipundi-Agastiyampalli
| Tiruturaipundi
| Agastiyampalli
| Branch
| Broad
| No
| 1
|
|
|
|-
|}
thumb|[[MGR Chennai Central - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express|Chennai-Mysore Vande Bharat Express]]
thumb|[[Chennai Central, the busiest station of Southern railway]]
Defunct railway lines include Kundala Valley Railways, Kochin Tramways, Madras Tramways, Tiruchendur Light Railway, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri famine light railways, Kodaikanal Light Railway.
Trains
Southern Railways operates 41 sets of express trains and 97 sets of superfast trains. The superfast trains include: Vande Bharat Express (10), Shatabdi Express (2), Garib Rath Express (2), Duronto Express (1), Jan Shatabdi Express (4), Sampark Kranti Express (1), Anuvrat Express (1), Humsafar Express (1), Tejas Express (1), Uday Express (1), Antyodaya Express (2) and Double Decker Express (1). Apart from this, it operates various Passenger trains, DEMU, EMU services, Chennai Suburban and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
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, Coimbatore Junction, Tambaram, Madurai Junction, Thiruvananthapuram Central and Ernakulam Junction. earlier Trams are also operated in Chennai by Madras Electric Tramways.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Line
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Start
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| End
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Type
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Length
!! style="background-color:#FFD700"| Stations
|-
| North Line
| Chennai Central
| Sullurpeta
| Suburban
|
| 30
|-
| South Line
| Chennai Beach
| Chengalpattu
| Suburban
|
| 50
|-
| West Line
| Chennai Beach
| Tiruttani
| Suburban
|
| 57
|-
| Chennai MRTS
| Chennai Beach
| St. Thomas Mount
| MRTS
|
| 25
|-
|}
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
thumb|Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Nilgiris district connecting Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam. It was built during the British Raj in 1908 and is currently operated by the Southern Railways. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Mountain Railways of India.
See also
- Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
- All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA)
References
External links
- Southern Railways System Map
- Southern Railway official website