Manamadurai Junction railway station (station code: MNM) is an NSG–5 category Indian railway station in Madurai railway division of Southern Railway zone.[1] It serves Manamadurai, located in Sivaganga district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[2] It is one of the two major railway junctions within the Sivaganga District; and the other one is Karaikudi Junction which is approximately 60kms north which has four rail branches and a major passenger railhead in the district.
Manamadurai Junction | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Indian Railways station | |||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg) Manamadurai Junction Platform Number 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Town Road, Manamadurai Junction, Manamadurai, Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu. Madurai Subdivision India | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 100 metres (330 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Indian Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | Southern Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) |
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| Platforms | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Train operators | Indian Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus stands | Manamadurai Bus stand | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | Bus stand, Taxicab stand, Auto rickshaw stand | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Standard (on ground station) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Functioning | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | MNM | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Zone(s) | Southern Railway zone | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Division(s) | Madurai
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| History | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1902 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–23 | 388,500 (per year) 1,064 (per day) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | |||||||||||||||||||||
  Manamadurai Junction Location within India  Manamadurai Junction Manamadurai Junction (Tamil Nadu) | |||||||||||||||||||||
History edit
This station was constructed as a part of the Madurai Rameswaram Branch Railway line, built in Colonial India in 1902. This line was mainly constructed to connect the Indian province with Ceylon Province. Later, after the annexation of Sivagangai Estate, a 20 km branch line was constructed between Manamadurai and Sivaganga which converted this station into a railway junction and became the first junction in the Ramnad region. Pamban became a junction when a 17 km branch line was built between Pamban and Dhanushkodi; after the 1964 rameswaram cyclone, that branch line was closed. After India gained independence, a new railway line was constructed between Manamadurai and Virudhunagar under the rule of Kamaraj. This was the first railway line in Tamil Nadu to be built after Indian Independence.
Location and layout edit
Manamadurai Junction is located close to its district headquarters, Sivagangai, which is 20 km away; it is 50 km away from its railway divisional headquarters Madurai. This railway junction has 6 railway tracks and 5 platforms, usually crowded in the morning and night. It has the second-largest curve.[original research?]
The junction connects with Tirunelveli, Karaikudi, Tiruchirapalli, Chennai, and Madurai. Its facilities include a clean waiting hall, food, large parking space, Railway Protection Force (RPF) police station, and Railway Hospital facilities within the station complex premise. A retiring room, railway canteen, and adequate restrooms are also available at this junction. The nearby bus stand is well connected with the Cochin - Rameswaram Interstate Corridor National Highway (NH45), which is also an Asian Highway Network which is numbered AH43, which gives round-the-clock bus connectivity to various places nearby.
There is also a goods terminal that generates huge revenue for the entire Madurai railway division. Mostly the goods handled here are loading and sending charcoal to various parts of India. The nearby SIDCO and SIPCOT (industrial complex area by the government of Tamil Nadu) also contribute considerable profit to this junction. Goods unloaded here include some civil supplies for the Sivagangai district where it is located and various raw materials for those industries present near Sivagangai and Manamadurai regions.[3][4]
Lines and sections edit
The Manamadurai Junction has four rail branches, leading to Madurai, Virudhunagar, Karaikudi and Rameswaram. It is a main railway junction, so all trains have to make a technical halt at this junction.[5][6][7]
Performance and earnings edit
For the FY 2022–23, the annual earnings of the station was ₹60,227,382 (US$750,000) and daily earnings was ₹165,007 (US$2,100). For the same financial year, the annual passenger count was 388,500 and daily count was 1,064. While, the footfall per day was recorded as 2,067.[2]
Trains operated edit
Once upon a time, this was the source station for Silambu Express.[8] During meter gauge era, it was a source station for Quilon-Tirunelveli-Manamadurai Express (acted as a link train for Sethu Express)[9][10] which is currently running as Puducherry–Kanniyakumari Weekly Express. It also acted as the Source stations for Karaikudi Manamadurai passenger which was later extended till virudhunagar and Mannargudi Tiruchirappalli Manamadurai Fast Passenger which was Short Terminated at Karaikudi. As of now, this Junction doesn't have any originating and destinating Trains. As of now, Tambaram-Sengottai triweekly super fast express is the only express train which doesn't have any commercial stoppage at Manamadurai but makes a mandatory technical halt there.
Special docking edit
Due to the New Pamban Bridge being under construction,[11] rail services to Rameswaram is temporarily closed. All trains must have to terminate at Mandapam railway station. Since it is a small station with only 2 platforms, all the long expresses and superfast expresses that run towards Rameswaram are docked in the non-functioning 4th and 5th platforms of Manamadurai junction for water filling and Rake maintenance. Trains like Ayodhya Rameswaram exp, Okha Rameswaram Exp, etc. make a technical dock at this station for water filling and rake maintenance
References edit
- ^ "SOUTHERN RAILWAY LIST OF STATIONS AS ON 01.04.2023 (CATEGORY- WISE)" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. 1 April 2023. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Annual Originating Passengers & Earnings for the year 2022-23" (PDF). Portal of Indian Railways. Centre For Railway Information Systems. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Madurai railway division's freight earning touches ₹100 crore in 5 months". The Hindu. 14 September 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Arockiaraj Johnbosco (20 February 2017). "End of the line for Tamil Nadu charcoal industry | Madurai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Staff Reporter (11 November 2016). "Nagercoil-Coimbatore passenger to be diverted". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Cyclone Gaja: Southern Railways releases list of cancelled, partially cancelled trains". The News Minute. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Two train services partially cancelled". The Hindu. 1 April 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Finally, Silambu Express to go up to Sengottai | Madurai News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "[IRFCA] Old Train Numbers". www.irfca.org. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "S Railway Schedule". m.rediff.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "New pamban bridge under construction". sr.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 17 September 2023.