Varkala Sivagiri railway station

This article is about the railway station. For the Varkala, see Sivagiri, Kerala.

Varkala
Regional rail and Light rail station
Location	SH64, Varkala, Trivandrum, Kerala India
Coordinates	8.741°N 76.723°E / 8.741; 76.723
Elevation	58m
Owned by	Government of India
Operated by	Indian Railways
Line(s)	Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line
Platforms	3
Tracks	5
Connections	Varkala municipal bus station (opposite) Taxi stand Varkala Helipad(2km) National Waterway 3(Under renovation) Trivandrum International Airport(40km)
Construction
Structure type	Standard (on-ground station)
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	VAK
Zone(s)	Southern Railway zone
Division(s)	Thiruvananthapuram
Classification	NSG-4
History
Opened	1918 (1918)
Rebuilt	1974 (1974)
Electrified	Yes, 25 kV AC 50 Hz
Previous names	Varkala railway station till 2005 (2005)
Passengers
2018–19	11,427/day Annual passengers – 41,70,860
Rank	2nd in Trivandrum district, 14th in Kerala
Services
Preceding station   Indian Railways   Following station Edavai toward ? Southern Railway zone Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Akathumuri toward ?
Route map km to Kayamkulam Junction to Sengottai via Punalur Kollam Bypass overpass Chemmamukku overpass 0 Kollam Junction NH 66 FCI siding SP Office overpass 4 Eravipuram 9 Mayyanad Paravur Lake 12 Paravur Paravur town overpass Kilimukkam Lake 17 Kappil Paravur Varkala Road 20 Edavai Puthoor Varkala Road Paravur Varkala Road SH 64 24 Varkala Varkala underpass Aythi overpass 30 Akathumuri Anchuthengu Kayal 33 Kadakkavoor Kadakkavoor overpass Vamanapuram River Attingal Road 36 Chirayinkeezhu Sarkara Road Mamam River 40 Perunguzhi Kadinamkulam Lake 43 Murukkampuzha Pothencode Road Kaniyapuram Road 47 Kaniyapuram Vettu Road Menamkulam overpass 51 Kazhakoottam VSSC Road 54 Veli Veli Lake Kochuveli Road 58 Kochuveli Parvathi Puthan River Thiruvananthapuram Bypass overpass Pettah Market Road Pettah overpass 62 Thiruvananthapuram Pettah Uppidamoodu overpass Over Bridge Junction overpass 65 Trivandrum Central NH 66 to Nagercoil Junction km
Location
Varkala Location in Kerala Varkala Location in India

Varkala Sivagiri railway station, station code VAK, is a major railway station (NSG 4 Category) in Kerala serving the town of Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram. It is the second-busiest railway station in the state capital district Trivandrum in terms of passenger movement and 14th busiest in Kerala State. Around 54 trains halts in this station which handled more than 17,730 passengers daily with 3 platforms. It is on Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line. Station is well connected to major metropolitan & tier 2 cities like Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Goa etc.

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Traffic

In 2018–19 FY about 41lakh passengers were passed through this station and make a profit of 11.12 cr. Varkala is the second-busiest railway station after Trivandrum Central. In close proximity to the station is Varkala Municipal Bus Station. It serves the people from northern part of entire Trivandrum district and southern part of Kollam district.

History

The metre-gauge railway line passing through the Varkala town was completed in 1917 and opened for traffic on 1 January 1918. The line was then up to Chakkai near Trivandrum. On 4 November 1931 it was extended to Trivandrum Central. Later, considering the steady increase in passenger traffic the metre-gauge was converted into broad-gauge which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 13 September 1977· There are two approach roads from Kallambalam and Parippally to Varkala railway station from the National Highway 66.

Name of the station

The station name used to be 'Varkala' till 2005. It was renamed "Varkala Sivagiri" after the samadhi of Sri Narayana Guru, situated in Varkala in the year 2005. Most of the trains are allowed temporary halt at this station during a week period of the famous "Sivagiri Theerthadanam" (Sivagiri Pilgrimage).

Significance

Varkala is a major commercial and industrial town in the district and also Varkala is the nearest major railway station for Attingal, Kilimanoor, Kallambalam, Chirayinkeezhu, Alamcode towns. Varkala Beach which is one of the popular tourist destination in India is at a distance of 3.1 km (1.9 mi) from the railway station. Sivagiri Mutt founded by the social reformer Sree Narayana Guru is situated at the top of the Sivagiri hill in Varkala. Janardana Swami Temple is a Vaishnavite shrine which is estimated to be 2000 years old. Kappil Beach & Backwaters situated 8 km (5.0 mi) from Varkala is major tourist destination in Varkala.

Annual passenger earnings of Varkala railway station

Passenger Earnings

Year	Earnings (in crores)	Variation
2015–16	₹9.4484 crore (US$1.3 million)	NA
2016–17	₹9.8191 crore (US$1.4 million)	₹0.3707 crore (US$52,000)
2017–18	₹10.4254 crore (US$1.5 million)	₹0.6063 crore (US$85,000)
2018–19	₹11.1201 crore (US$1.6 million)	₹0.6947 crore (US$97,000)
2019–20	₹11.5095 crore (US$1.6 million)	₹0.3894 crore (US$55,000)
2020-21	₹2.0588 crore (US$290,000)	₹9.4507 crore (US$1.3 million)

See also

• Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station
• Kappil railway station
• Kollam Junction railway station
• Paravur railway station
• Karunagappalli railway station
• Punalur
• Kazhakuttam railway station