Visakhapatnam Junction railway station (station code: VSKP) is a major railway station located in

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is on the

Howrah–Chennai main line The Howrah–Chennai main line is a railway line connecting Chennai and Kolkata cutting across Eastern Coastal Plains of India. It covers a distance of across, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Sections The long trunk line ...

It is operated by

East coast Railway The East Coast Railway (abbreviated ECoR) is one of the 19 railway zones of Indian Railways. It came into existence on 1 April 2003. The headquarters of the zone are at Bhubaneswar, Odisha History Consequent upon the parliament's approval, Ea ...

till now and it may take some time to administered under the

South Coast Railway zone South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) has been announced as the newest railway zone of the Indian Railways and is headquartered at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The formal notification for operationalization of this Zone is yet to be issued. Jur ...

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

. Originally named the Waltair railway station, it was founded in 1896. In 1987, it was renamed Visakhapatnam.

History

From 1893–1896, of track, covering the coast from to

Vijayawada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises NT ...

, were built by

Bengal Nagpur Railway The Bengal Nagpur Railway was one of the companies which pioneered development of the railways in eastern and central India. It was succeeded first by Eastern Railway and subsequently by South Eastern Railway. History The opening of the ...

(later South Eastern Railway). The station was founded as Waltair railway station in 1896, and Bengal Nagpur Railway's line to Cuttack was opened on 1 January 1899. In 1902, the company took over the -long northern portion of the East Coast line to Cuttack, including the branch line to . The southern part was subsequently merged with

Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway was a railway company that operated in southern India. It was founded on 1 January 1908 by merging the Madras Railway and the Southern Mahratta Railway. Initially, its headquarters was at Royapuram in Ma ...

. In 1987, Mayor of Visakhapatnamas D. V. Subbarao renamed the station "Visakhapatnam" because it was the largest in the East Coast Railway and an A1-category station.

Routes

The station is a

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

; trains must either end their journeys there or reverse out of the station. Visakhapatnam has been a busy station since it was part of the

East Coast Railway zone The East Coast Railway (abbreviated ECoR) is one of the 19 railway zones of Indian Railways. It came into existence on 1 April 2003. The headquarters of the zone are at Bhubaneswar, Odisha History Consequent upon the parliament's approval, Ea ...

to today. Platforms are not always available for incoming trains, and the average train's halt period is at least 20 minutes. If a train is late, trains after it are stopped at or . The

Route Relay Interlocking In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively re ...

(RRI) system is an arrangement of signal apparatus, preventing conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. It is a cause for trains being delayed after they pass through Duvvada. Over 5,000 people per day travel between Visakhapatnam and , which are connected by over 18 trains. Another route, the

Godavari Express The 12727/12728 Godavari Express is an express train of India's South Central Railway, operating between Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. History On 1 February 1974, the Indian Railways announced the first railway service between Hyderabad and ...

of the

South Central Railway The South Central Railway (abbreviated SCR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways. The jurisdiction of the zone is spread over the states of Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh. It has three divisions under its administrati ...

, passes into Visakhapatnam.

Originating express trains

Structure and services

Visakhapatnam station's area is . There are eight platforms, most of which are the same size, and all of the tracks are

broad-gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

and

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

. The station features escalators and a bus station. A majority of platforms are wheelchair-friendly and accessible via ramp. Over 200 employees work in the station.

Amenities

There are

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

facilities and a 'fun zone' for children. The east and west terminals are equipped with reservation counters.

Sheds

The Diesel Loco Shed at Visakhapatnam is the largest of

, with a capacity to accommodate 300

diesel locomotives A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

. The electric loco shed can accommodate 297 locomotives.

Environmental work

Visakhapatnam has been named the cleanest railway station in the country by the

Quality Council of India The Quality Council of India (QCI) was set up as a public private partnership model on the model existing in Netherlands at the time, where although the NAB was not owned by the government, yet it was supported by it and was exceedingly used as a ...

and earned a platinum rating for being

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

from the

Indian Green Building Council Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

(IGBC).

References

External links

* {{Top 100 booking stations of Indian Railways Railway stations in Visakhapatnam Railway stations in Waltair railway division Railway stations in India opened in 1896 Indian Railway A1 Category Stations