Visakhapatnam railway station

Visakhapatnam విశాఖపట్నం
Indian Railway Station Terminal station
The Main entrance of the Visakhapatnam railway station
Location	Gnanapuram, Railway New Colony, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, 530004,  India
Coordinates	17°43′20″N 83°17′23″E / 17.7221°N 83.2897°E
Elevation	5.970 metres (19.59 ft)
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	East Coast Railway
Line(s)	Khurda Road-Visakhapatnam section Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada section Visakhapatnam-Kirandul line
Platforms	8
Tracks	10
Construction
Structure type	On-ground
Disabled access
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	VSKP
Zone(s)	East Coast Railway
Division(s)	Waltair Railway Division
Electrified	Yes
Route map Legend Visakhapatnam Railway Legend km to Khurda Road-Visakhapatnam section to Kothavalasa-Kirandul line 24 Kothavalasa 15 Pendurti 8 Simhachalam North 7 Simhachalam 6 Gopalapatnam NH 5 Marshalling yard on right lines 4 Maripallem / Visakhapatnam Airport Naval Dockyard Essar Steel Iron Ore sidings 9 Kottapalem Visakhapatnam Port - Innner harbour 0 Visakhapatnam Hindustan Zinc BHPV NH 5 Coromandel International Visakhapatnam Refinery of HPCL Visakhapatnam port channel in blue Visakhapatnam Port - Inner harbour Hindustan Shipyard Limited Visakhapatnam Port - Outer harbour Dolphin's Nose (hill with lighthouse) Link to Bay of Bengal Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Gangavaram Port 17 Duvvada NH 5 Simhadri STPP of NTPC 27 Thadi NH 5 33 Anakapalle to Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada section Source:Google maps, India Rail Info 57226

Location

Visakhapatnam railway station

Location in Andhra Pradesh

Visakhapatnam Railway Station is a major railway station located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The railway station is under the control of East Coast Railway of Indian Railways. It stands on the Howrah-Chennai main line, though the mainline bypasses Visakhapatnam Central Station. Consequently, a suburban halt on the mainline near Vizag Steel Plant, known as Duvvada, is being developed into a major station to improve services for the city. An escalator was commissioned at Platform No. 4 and 5 of Visakhapatnam Railway Station on Ugadi Day.

Overview

The station is a terminal station; trains must go back the same way as they come. With many trains arriving at the same time platforms are not always available. In case any train is late, the other trains are stopped at Duvvada or Vizianagaram.^[1] The Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) system, an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings, is reported to be one of the major causes for these trains being delayed after Duvvada Station.

Over 5,000 people travel between Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad every day. To clear the rush, there are over 18 trains connecting Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad. The Godavari Express, one of the most prestigious trains of the South Central Railway, is considered the best way between the cities. However, the rush for the train is too high, that tickets have to be booked before two months from the journey.^[2]

History

During 1893–1896, the 1,287 km (800 mi) long tracks 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.^[3][4]Bengal Nagpur Railway’s line to Cuttack was opened on 1 January 1899.^[3] 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.^[4][5] The southern part was subsequently merged with Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway.^[6] 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 is 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 are rich in mineral and other natural resources, and are on the threshold of an industrial upsurge. ^[7]

Amenities

Visakhapatnam railway station has computerised reservation facilities (with all-India linkage), waiting room, retiring room, light refreshment facilities and book stall.

Sub-urban stations

The city of Visakhapatnam consists of eight other railway stations, these are:

Station Name	Station Code
Pendurthi	PDT
Simhachalam North	SCMN
Simhachalam	SCM
Marripalem	MIPM
Gopalapatnam	GPT
Duvvada	DVD
Thadi	THY
Anakapalle	AKP

See also

• Waltair railway division
• East Coast Railway zone

References

1. "`Terminal' injustice". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 3 June 2006. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
2. "Transportation fails to face festive rush". CityofVizag.com. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
3. "Major Events in the Formation of S.E. Railway". South Eastern Railway. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
4. "History of Waltair Division". Mannanna.com. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
5. "History". East Coast Railway. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
6. "East Coast State Railway". fibis. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
7. "East Coast Railway". eastcoastrail.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-10-23.

External links

• Visakhapatnam travel guide from Wikivoyage