Vijayawada Junction railway station

Vijayawada Junction
విజయవాడ జంక్షన్
विजयवाड़ा जंक्शन
Indian Railway Junction Station

Vijayawada Railway station at night
Location Railway Station Rd, Hanumanpet, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
India
Coordinates 16°31′06″N 80°37′07″E / 16.5182°N 80.6185°ECoordinates: 16°31′06″N 80°37′07″E / 16.5182°N 80.6185°E
Owned by Indian Railways
Line(s) Vijayawada-New Delhi line
Vijayawada-Howrah line
Vijayawada–Chennai section
Vijayawada-Kazipet line
Vijayawada-Machilipatnam line
Vijayawada-Guntakal line
Platforms 10
Tracks 22
Connections Bus stand, Taxicab stand
Construction
Structure type Standard (on ground station)
Parking Available
Bicycle facilities Available
Disabled access
Other information
Station code BZA
Fare zone South Central Railway
History
Opened 1888
Electrified Yes
Previous names Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railways
Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway
Traffic
Passengers 51 millions approx.
Location
Vijayawada railway station
Location in Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada railway station is one of the major junctions of Indian Railways that serves the city of Vijayawada in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Vijayawada railway station falls under Vijayawada railway division of South Central Railway zone.[1] It is situated on the Howrah-Chennai main line and Chennai-New Delhi line. The railway station has ten platforms and is the only station to have five entrance gates with booking counters in India. It is one of the busiest railway stations in India with more than 250 express and 150 freight trains passing through it while serving 50 million passengers per year.[2] Vijayawada Junction has been given A-1 status in 2008 as the revenues crossed 100 crore ($17 mn in 2013 terms) in that financial year.[3]

Vijayawada Railway Division and Vijayawada railway station generates more profits than others divisions and stations in South Central Railway and more busier than its zonal headquarter Secunderabad.

History

The Vijayawada railway station was constructed in 1888 when the Southern Maharatta Railway's main eastward route was connected with other lines going through Vijayawada. In 1889, the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway constructed a line between Secunderabad Railway Station and Vijayawada as an extension railway for Bezawada; the station subsequently became a junction of three lines from different directions.

On 1 November 1899, the broad gauge line was constructed between Vijayawada and Chennai, making rail journey between Chennai, Mumbai, Howrah, New Delhi and Hyderabad possible. In the following decades the Vijayawada railway station was developed into a junction until the nationalisation of all the independent railways in India occurred; following nationalisation, Indian Railways was formed under the Ministry of Railways in 1950 by the Government of India. The Vijayawada railway station, as the headquarters of Vijayawada Division, was assigned to the Southern Railway. In 1966, a new zone, South Central Railway, was formed, with Secunderabad as its headquarters; Vijayawada Division and Vijayawada Junction were merged with the new railway.

In 1969, the Golconda Express was introduced between Vijayawada and Secunderabad as the fastest steam-hauled train in the country, with an average speed of 58 km/h. As of 2012, the Vijayawada railway station is one of the busiest railway stations in India.[1]

The Station

Vijayawada Junction is one of the biggest and busiest railway stations in the Indian railway system. It is the main railway terminus and a major commuter hub in the Vijayawada Urban Area which is the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Layout

Vijayawada Station has the standard station layout with a perfect traction inside the station. All the tracks in the station are broad gauged and electrified. The Vijayawada-Machilipatnam line that passes through is non-electrified, so diesel trains are common.

Platforms

View of Platform 6 of Vijayawada Railway Station with Sathavahana Express

The station has 10 platforms which are covered by an R.C.C (Reinforced Cement Concrete) roof. Each platform can handle a train with more than 24 coaches. All the tracks are broad gauged and there is an additional track between platform no's. 7 & 8 which is a service track for the passing of goods trains.

The main service usage for the platforms is:

Junction

The Vijayawada Railway Station is a junction of tracks from 5 directions to Vijayawada:

Services

New look of Vijayawada Railway Station
In brief
Total number of tracks: 22
Number of passenger tracks
above ground:		 10
Trains (daily): 250 Passenger Trains
150 Goods Trains
Passengers (daily): 140,000

As one of the busiest railway junctions in South India, Vijayawada Junction is a hub for long-distance, inter-city express services in SCR. An average of 1,40,000 people board different trains each day and an equal number of commuters exit trains at the station. More than 250 passenger trains and 150 goods trains utilize the station daily, with each train stopping for at least 15 to 20 minutes.[4]

Although Vijayawada Junction is Indian Railways' third busiest railway station, it does not provide proper access to India's fastest trains, such as Rajdhani Expresses or Shatabdi Expresses. Rajadhani expresses and Garib Rath expresses pass through the station, and also there is a Jan-Shatabdi Express between Vijayawada Junction and Chennai Central, Vijayawada Janshatabdi is fastest train among Janshatabdi's.

The Vijayawada Junction also houses a Diesel Loco Shed which has the WDM-2 Locomotive and also an Electric Loco Shed which has the WAG-7, WAM-4, WAG-5 locos.

Diesel engine train entering Vijayawada Junction

Servicing Trains to Vijayawada Junction

The following are Super-fast Express, Express trains originating from Vijayawada Junction.

Train No. Train Name Type End points
22701/02 Andhra Pradesh (AP) Express Superfast Express New Delhi
12711/12 Pinakini Express[5][6] Superfast Express Chennai Central
12713/14 Satavahana Express[7][8] Superfast Express Secunderabad
12717/18 Ratnachal Express[9][10] Superfast Express Visakhapatnam
12077/78 Jan Shatabdi Express Superfast Express Chennai Central
17207 Vijayawada - Sainagar Shirdi Express Express Shirdi - Vijayawada
17225 Amaravati Express Express Hubli— Vijayawada

The following are the specialized Indian Railways services that travel through Vijayawada Daily:

Train No. Train name Type Origin Destination
12739/40 Visakhapatnam Garib Rath Express Superfast Express Visakhapatnam Secunderabad
12727/28 Godavari Express[11] Superfast Express Visakhapatnam Hyderabad
12805/06 Janmabhoomi Express Superfast Express Secunderabad Visakhapatnam
12705/06 Guntur-Secunderabad Intercity Superfast Express Guntur Junction Secunderabad
12737/38 Goutami Express Superfast Express Kakinada Secunderabad
12861/62 Vishakapatnam-H.Nizamuddin Link SF Express Superfast Express Visakhapatnam H.Nizamuddin
12709/10 Simhapuri Express Superfast Express Gudur Secunderabad
12759/60 Charminar Express Superfast Express Chennai Central Hyderabad
12703/04 Falaknuma Express Superfast Express Secunderabad Howrah
12621/22 Tamil Nadu Express Superfast Express Chennai Central New Delhi
12615/16 Grand Trunk Express Superfast Express Chennai Central New Delhi
12839/40 Howrah Chennai Mail Superfast Express Howrah Chennai Central
12841/42 Coromandel Express Superfast Express Howrah Chennai Central
12655/56 Navjivan Express Superfast Express Ahmedabad Chennai Central
12863/64 Howrah-Yesvantapur Express Superfast Express Howrah Yeshwantapur
12625/26 Kerala Express Superfast Express Tiruvananthapuram New Delhi
12295/96 Sanghamithra Express Superfast Express Bangalore Patna Junction
12763/64 Padmavati Express Superfast Express Tirupathi Secunderabad
17201/02 Golconda Express Superfast Express Guntur Junction Secunderabad
17015/16 Visakha Express Express Bhubaneswar Secunderabad
11019/20 Konark Express Express Bhubaneswar Mumbai CST
18519/20 Visakha - Mumbai LTT Express Express Visakhapatnam LT Terminus
17401/02 Tirupati-Machiipatnam Express Express Tirupati Machilipatnam
17403/04 Tirupati-Narasapur Express Express Tirupati Narasapur
17209/10 Seshadri Express Express Bangalore Kakinada
17255/56 Narasapur Express Express Narasapur Hyderabad
17049/50 Machilipatnam-Secunderabad Express Express Machilipatnam Secunderabad
18645/46 East Coast Express Express Howrah Hyderabad
18463/64 Prasanti Express Express Bhubaneswar Bangalore
18189/90 Tatanagar-Alappuzaha Express Express Tatanagar Alappuzha
13351/52 Dhandab Junction-Alappuzha Express Express Dhanbad Junction Alappuzha

Passenger, MEMU & DEMU trains:

Other Stations in Vijayawada

The city of Vijayawada consists of eight other railway stations. These are:

Station Name Station Code Railway Division
Krishna Canal Station KCC Guntur Division
Kondapalli Station KI Vijayawada Division
Rayanapadu Station RYP Vijayawada Division
Mustabada Station MBD Vijayawada Division
Gannavaram Station GWM Vijayawada Division
Ramavarappadu Station RMV Vijayawada Division
Nidamanuru Station NDM Vijayawada Division
Madhuranagar Station MDUN Vijayawada Division
Gunadala Station GALA Vijayawada Division
Madhuranagar Station MDH Vijayawada Division

Infrastructure

Since the headquarters of South-East railway moved to Bhubaneswar from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada Railway station has seen major development and new appearance in the last five years. In FY 2009, the Indian Railways Company board allocated Rs. 3.5 crores for improvements to the transport hub.[12] A central aspect of the improvements was an "Integrated Security Scheme" which included construction of a compound wall around the station premises and a reduction in the number of entrances as a precaution against terrorism. The placement of modern surveillance equipment was also planned, with an anticipated time frame of six months.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vijayawada Junction railway station.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Vijayawada lays platform for Krishna fete". The Hindu. 23 Aug 2004. Retrieved 20 Sep 2012.
  2. ↑ Upgraded Gunadala rail station by March | Deccan Chronicle
  3. ↑ "Plans to develop railway station". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 24 Mar 2008. Retrieved 20 Sep 2012.
  4. ↑ "Vijayawada railway junction struggles to keep pace with increasing rush". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 10 Feb 2009. Retrieved 20 Sep 2012.
  5. ↑ http://indiarailinfo.com/train/pinakini-express-12711-bza-to-mas/1248/29/35
  6. ↑ http://indiarailinfo.com/train/pinakini-express-12712-mas-to-bza/1249/35/29
  7. ↑ "Satavahana Express - 12713". MakeMyTrip.com.
  8. ↑ "Satavahana Express - 12714". MakeMyTrip.com.
  9. ↑ http://indiarailinfo.com/train/ratnachal-sf-express-12717-vskp-to-bza/1386/401/29
  10. ↑ http://indiarailinfo.com/train/ratnachal-sf-express-12718-bza-to-vskp/1387/29/401
  11. ↑ "Godavari Express's stoppage on the Visakhapatnam - Vijayawada section". Indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Vijayawada railway junction struggles to keep pace with increasing rush". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 10 February 2009.

External links