Visakhapatnam railway station

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Visakhapatnam Junction
Regional rail, Light rail & Goods railway station
Visakhapatnam Junction Railway station.png
Visakhapatnam railway station
LocationGnanapuram, Railway New Colony, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh-530004
 India
Coordinates17°43′20″N 83°17′23″E / 17.7221°N 83.2897°E / 17.7221; 83.2897Coordinates: 17°43′20″N 83°17′23″E / 17.7221°N 83.2897°E / 17.7221; 83.2897
Elevation5.970 metres (19.59 ft)
Owned byIndian Railways
Operated bySouth Coast Railways
Line(s)Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section,
Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section,
Visakhapatnam–Kirandul line
Platforms8
Tracks10
Construction
Structure typeStandard on-ground
ParkingYes
Disabled accessDisabled access Available
Other information
StatusFunctioning
Station codeVSKP
Zone(s) South Coast Railway zone
Division(s) Waltair
ElectrifiedYes
Route map
km
 to Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section
to Kothavalasa–Kirandul line
24
 Kothavalasa
15
 Pendurti
8
 Simhachalam North
7
 Simhachalam
6
 Gopalapatnam
NH 16
Marshalling yard on right lines
4
 Marripalem / Visakhapatnam Airport
Naval Dockyard
Essar Steel
Iron Ore sidings
9
 Kottapalem
Visakhapatnam Port - Inner harbour
0
 Visakhapatnam
Hindustan Zinc
BHPV
NH 16
Coromandel International
Visakhapatnam Refinery of HPCL
Visakhapatnam port channel in blue
Visakhapatnam Port - Inner harbour
Hindustan Shipyard
Visakhapatnam Port - Outer harbour
Dolphin's Nose (hill with lighthouse)
Link to Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam Steel Plant
Gangavaram Port
17
 Duvvada
NH 16
Simhadri STPP of NTPC
27
 Thadi
NH 16
33
 Anakapalle
to Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section
Location
Visakhapatnam Junction is located in Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam Junction
Visakhapatnam Junction
Location within Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam Junction is located in India
Visakhapatnam Junction
Visakhapatnam Junction
Visakhapatnam Junction (India)

Visakhapatnam Junction railway station (station code: VSKP)[1] was a major railway station located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was administered under the South Coast Railway zone.[2] In 2017, as part of the Swachh Rail campaign, the Quality Council of India rated Visakhapatnam as the cleanest railway station in the country.[3] The station was a major stopped on the Howrah–Chennai main line. For its progress in adopting green concepts through reduction of adverse environmental impacts, the Visakhapatnam railway station was awarded a Platinum rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).[4] The award was based on the efficiency of the station in six environmental categories, including: Sustainable Station Facility; Health, Hygiene and Sanitation; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency; Smart Green Initiatives; and Innovation and Development.[5]

The railway station was originally called Waltair railway station. Around 1987, Mr. D. V. Subbarao, then mayor of Visakhapatnam, changed the station name to Visakhapatnam, as the largest railway station of the east coast railway and an A1 category station. The Visakhapatnam railway station was administered by the South Coast Railway of Indian Railways, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, as announced on February 27, 2019 by the union railway minister Piyush Goyal.


Overview[edit]

The station was a terminal station; trains must return the same way as they arrive. With many trains arriving at the same time, platforms were not always available. In case any train was late, the other trains were stopped at Duvvada or Vizianagaram.[6] The Route Relayed Interlocking (RRI) system, an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevented conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracked such as junctions or crossings, was reported to be one of the major causes for trains being delayed after Duvvada Station.

Over 5,000 people travel between Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad every day. To eased overcrowding there were over 18 trains connecting Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad. The Godavari Express, one of the most prestigious trains of the South Central Railway was considered the best meant of travel between the cities. However, the demand for this train was so high that tickets had to be booked two months in advance of the journey. The station was one of the busiest stations when it was part of East Coast Railway zone. On average, every train had a minimum halt period of 20 minutes.[7]

History[edit]

During 1893–1896, the 1,287 km (800 mi)-long tracked covering the entire coastal stretch from Cuttack to Vijayawada, was built and opened to traffic by Bengal Nagpur Railway which was later renamed as South Eastern Railway.[8][9]Bengal Nagpur Railway's line to Cuttack was opened on 1 January 1899.[8] The 514 km (319 mi)-long northern portion of the East Coast line to Cuttack, including the branch line to Puri, was taken over by Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1902.[9][10] The southern part was subsequently merged with Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway. East Coast Railway zone of Indian Railways came into existence in its present form with effect from 1 April 2003. The geographical jurisdiction of the railway was however extended over three states encompassing almost all parts of Orissa along with parts of Srikakulam, Vizainagaram and Visakhapatnam districts of North Eastern Andhra Pradesh, and Bastar and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh State. As such, these regions with a long coastal line were rich in mineral and other natural resources, and were on the threshold of an industrial upsurge. [11]

Structure and amenities[edit]

The station was spread over an area of 103,178 m2 (1,110,600 sq ft), maintained by 222 employees.[12] The station had 08 platforms and all the tracked were broad gauge and electrified. Almost all platforms were the same size. The station had East and West terminals equipped with reservation counters and had an Inter Modal Transport Facility for the Bus Station. It was a wheelchair friendly station where almost all platforms were accessible via the ramp on the foot over bridge. The station had modern escalators and Wi-Fi facilities provided by RailTel and Google. For making an enjoyable experience, particularly for children and to cut down monotony of long waiting periods on railway stations, a fun zone had been set up by the Railways at the Railway station[13].There were various games like video shooting and other indoor games which kept children and adults entertained while waiting at the platform. The fun zone was first of its kind in the country, built on platform 1,and had all high-tech gaming activities on par with game parlours for adults and children.[14]

Loco sheds[edit]

The Diesel Loco Shed at Visakhapatnam, was the largest diesel shed in Indian Railways, with a capacity to accommodated 300 diesel locomotives. While, the Electric Loco Shed was currently holding 231 electric locomotives.

It held WDM-2 – 57, WDS-6 – 10, WDG-3A – 96 alongside 3 rail busses.

While, the Visakhapatnam Electric Loco Shed can accommodated 297 locomotives which included WAG-5 – 83, WAP-4 – 21, WAP-7 – 35, WAG-6 – 9, WAG-9 – 172.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Station Code Index" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. 2015. p. 46. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Statement showing Category-wise No.of stations" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. 28 January 2016. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Vizag billed the cleanest rail station". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 18 May 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 January 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ "Visakhapatnam railway station gets platinum rating by IGBC". Telangana Today. Telangana Today. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Visakhapatnam railway station gets platinum rating by IGBC". Telangana Today. Telangana Today. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  6. ^ "`Terminal' injustice". The Hindu. Chennai. 3 June 2006. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Transportation fails to face festive rush". CityofVizag.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Major Events in the Formation of S.E. Railway". South Eastern Railway. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  9. ^ a b "History of Waltair Division". Mannanna.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  10. ^ "History". East Coast Railway. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  11. ^ "East Coast Railway". eastcoastrail.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Station:Visakhapatnam".
  13. ^ "'Fun Zone' for children at Visakhapatnam railway station". Business Standard India. Business Standard. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  14. ^ "'Fun Zone' for children at Visakhapatnam railway station". Business Standard India. Business Standard. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2021.

External links[edit]

Preceding station   Indian Railways   Following station
toward ?
South Coast Railway zone
Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section of Howrah–Chennai main line
Terminus
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