Coimbatore or Kovai is a major city in the Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. It is the second largest city and

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

in the state after

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and the sixteenth largest urban agglomeration in India. It is administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation and is the administrative capital of Coimbatore district. It is one of the fastest growing tier-II cities in India and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educational, information technology, healthcare and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu. It is often referred to as the "

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

" due to its cotton production and textile industries. Train service in Coimbatore started in 1861, upon construction of the

Podanur Podanur or Pothanoor or Pothanur is a neighbourhood in the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Its history goes back to the creation of a major railway station and colony during British rule. The station was a major hub and is functional ...

– Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India. Coimbatore lies on the Coimbatore–Shoranur broad gauge railway line. Until 1956, the

Coimbatore railway division Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

was functioning with Podanur as its Headquarters. In 1956, the headquarters was shifted to Olavakkode, of Kerala , and was named Olavakkod railway division. In 1980, Olavakkod division was renamed Palakkad railway division. It comprised Kerala and western districts of Tamil Nadu. Ultimately, a new Salem railway division was carved out of the Palakkad railway division in 2006 with Salem as its headquarters. The city falls under the Salem Division of the Southern Railway zone of

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 tota ...

. The major railway station is the which is the second largest income generating station in the Southern Railway zone after

Chennai Central Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...

and is amongst the top hundred booking stations of

. Other major railway stations catering to the city include , and minor stations at Peelamedu,

Singanallur Singanallur is a major residential locality of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the banks of Noyyal river, which runs to the southern boundary of the locality. It is situated in the eastern part of the city, and ...

, ,

Perianaikanpalayam Periyanaickenpalayam is a suburb of Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is upcoming developing region . It is covered with many industries around it . It is well connected by road and rail transport. It is located along National Hig ...

, , Somanur,

Sulur Sulur (Tamil:) is a town located in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a suburb of Coimbatore. It is the headquarters of Sulur Taluk of Coimbatore district. There are many market places and many big retail and wholesale shops ...

& Thudiyalur .

List of railway stations

Metrorail

Three metrorail routes have been proposed. Two circular routes, in the northern and southern parts of the city and a dual linear line connecting the Eastern and Western parts. The Northern Route starts from

Gandhipuram Gandhipuram is a major place of the Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is presently named after Mahatma Gandhi. It was previously known as "Katoor". Gandhipuram evolved as the major public transportation hub after the construction of the ...

via Ganapathy, Sivanandha colony, Saibaba colony, RS Puram, Townhall, and ends in Gandhipuram. The second circular route starts from via Trichy Road, Sungam, Redfields, Race Course, City railway station,

Ukkadam Ukkadam is a part of Townhall locality in the core part of the city of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Ukkadam Bus Terminal, which is one of the seven major bus stands in the city, is located in this neighborhood. Ukkadam is famous for its Fish M ...

and ends at Podanur. A linear line was also proposed from

Chinniampalayam Chinniampalayam is a part of Coimbatore city. It lies on the main arterial Avinashi road, the most important road in the city. Chinniampalayam is one of the fast-growing neighbourhoods of Coimbatore. The Coimbatore International Airport is loca ...

Coimbatore International Airport Coimbatore International Airport is the primary airport serving the industrial cities of Coimbatore and Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the neighbourhood of Peelamedu, about from the center of Coimbatore. It is the 18th-bus ...

, CODISSIA, PSG Tech,

Lakshmi Mills Lakshmi Mills Company is a major textile yarn and cloth manufacturer in Coimbatore, India. The company was established by G.Kuppuswamy Naidu in 1910. It has two composite textile units in Coimbatore: Avinashi Road and Palladam and one in Kovi ...

, Gandhipuram, , Cowley Brown Road and TNAU. Recently

Vadavalli Vadavalli is a neighborhood in Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the Marudamalai Road and has been under the jurisdiction of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation limits since 2007. Located at the foothills of th ...

and

Thondamuthur Thondamuthur is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comes under the Coimbatore Corporation. Thondamuthur is located 15 km west from the District headquarters Coimbatore, there are three routes available to re ...

are the two new areas that has been included in the linear line as part of the phase extension. In 2017,Tamil Nadu government announced that CMRL would prepare DPR and feasibility report for Coimbatore metro rail project and will be funded by German-based company.

Coimbatore suburban circular railway

Coimbatore suburban circular railway Coimbatore Broad Gauge Metro Railway Cum Coimbatore Suburban Railway or Kovai Metro Cum Suburban Railway is a Broad Gauge Metro Cum Suburban railway planned for Coimbatore city. The circular railway line will help run through Coimbatore Junctio ...

is a circular suburban railway planned for Coimbatore city. The circular railway line will help run through Coimbatore Junction, Podanur, Vellalore, Irugur, Singanallur, Peelamedu and Coimbatore North (see map). This will certainly help decongest the city roads. A senior official with the Salem division says if the revival of an old line can bring about so many benefits, it can be considered.

References

External links

{{Railways in Southern India Coimbatore