Chengannur railway station
Chengannur railway station is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is located in Chengannur town of Kerala. It is one of the busiest stations in the –––Ernakulam route, primarily due to the Sabarimala pilgrims. Chengannur railway station mainly serves the people of Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta district.It is situated in Alappuzha District.
History
Chengannur rail link came into existence in 1958 when Ernakulam– metre-gauge railway line was extended to. The railway line between and via Kottayam was converted to broad gauge in 1976.Significance
Chengannur railway station is the nearest rail station to reach famous pilgrimage places like Sabarimala, Pandalam, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, Parumala Church, Maramon and Manjinikkara Monastery.It is also the nearest railway station of 4 of the 5 Pancha Pandava Temples and Pandavanpara. The railway station has been declared as 'Gateway of Sabarimala' by Indian Railways in 2009. It serves the people of 4 districts - Alappuzha, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. The proposed Sabari Airport Cheruvally, Erumeli is 36 km from the station and hence Chengannur would be the nearest railway station to the proposed Sabari Airport Cheruvally.Major Trains Halting at Chengannur
- Thiruvananthapuram - Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express.
- Nagercoil–Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express
- Charlapalli – Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express
- MADURAI -THIRUVANANTHAPURAM AMRITHA EXPRESS
- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM -CHENNAI SUPERFAST
- VELANKANNI- ERANAMKULAM EXPRESS
- KANYAKUMARI- PUNE JAYANTHI JANATHA EXPRESS
- VIVEK SUPERFAST EXPRESS
- BANGLORE -KANYAKUMARI ISLAND EXPRESS
- NAGERCOIL SHALIMAR EXPRESS
- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM CHENNAI SUPERFAST MAIL
- TUTICORIN - PALAKKAD PALARUVI EXPRESS
- LTT -KOCHUVELI GARIB RATH
- YESWANTHPUR -KOCHUVELI GARIB RATH SUPERFAST EXPRESS
- VISAKHAPATNAM- KOLLAM JUNCTION TWICE WEEKLY EXPRESS
- THIRUPATHI -KOLLAM EXPRESS
- KOCHUVELI -NILAMBUR ROAD RAJYARANI EXPRESS
- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM -VERAVAL JUNCTION EXPRESS
- NAGERCOIL- GANDHIDHAM JUNCTION express
- HUBBALLI KOCHUVELI EXPRESS
- SMVT BANGLORE KOCHUVELI HUMSAFAR EXPRESS
- VENAD EXPRESS
- VANCHINAD EXPRESS
- MAVELI EXPRESS
- MALABAR EXPRESS
- PARASURAM EXPRESS
- HIMSAGAR EXPRESS
- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM SECUNDARABAD SHABARI EXPRESS
- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM SILCHAR ARONAI SUPERFAST EXPRESS
- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM NEW DELHI KERALA EXPRESS.
Facilities
- Cloak room
- IRCTC restaurant
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Computerised Reservation counter
- Information counter
- Foot over bridge
- Subway
- Escalator
- Lift
- 2nd class waiting room at Platform no: 1
- Shelters for Sabarimala pilgrims
- Prepaid auto – taxi counter
- prepaid vehicle parking area
- AC waiting room - paid
- 24 hrs KSRTC bus to Pamba during Sabarimala Pilgrim Season and also on 1st & last days of every Malayalam month.
Future expansion plans
- A new line linking Chengannur with via Pandalam, Kottarakkara Kilimanoor and Nedumangad was proposed as parallel line towards Thiruvananthapuram for the Ernakulam–Kollam line (via Kottayam and Kayamkulam).
- A sub-urban service connecting Chengannur to Trivandrum is under consideration.
- New elevated rail line between Chengannur and Pamba : An elevated rail line that can take Sabarimala pilgrims from Chengannur to Pampa in around 40 minutes is proposed and under discussion. With the railway ministry giving green signal for the 60 km project’s final location survey, a hassle-free journey through the scenic forest could become a reality in a few years. The proposed railway line is likely to pass through places including Chengannur municipal council, Mallapuzhassery, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Cherukol, Vadasserikara, Ranni, Keekozhoor, Seethathode, Athikkayam and Perunad.