Palakkad Junction railway station

Palakkad Junction (formerly Olavakkode Junction)(station code: PGT^[1]) is an NSG–2 category Indian railway station in Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway zone.^[3] It is one of the largest railway stations in Kerala state, India situated in the city of Palakkad and the second largest railway station in the district. Palakkad Junction is the cleanest railway station in the state of Kerala as per the survey conducted by Swachh Bharat Survey.^[4] Palakkad Junction serves as the major railway hub for the city of Palakkad in Kerala while the secondary hub, Palakkad Town railway station.^[5]

Palakkad Junction OLAVAKKODE Junction
Indian Railways station
The main entrance of Palakkad Junction railway station
General information
Location	Railway Station Road, NH 966, Olavakkode, Palakkad, Kerala,  India.
Coordinates	10.801°N 76.639°E / 10.801; 76.639
Elevation	84 metres (276 ft)
Owned by	Government of India
Operated by	Indian Railways
Line(s)	Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Palakkad–Pollachi line
Platforms	5
Tracks	13
Construction
Structure type	Standard (on ground) station.
Parking	Available
Accessible
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	PGT[1]
Zone(s)	Southern Railway zone
Division(s)	Palakkad
History
Opened	1898; 127 years ago (1898)
Closed	1899
Rebuilt	1904
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	OLAVAKKODE JUNCTION
Passengers
50,0000	21,898 per day[2]  0% (-)
Location Palakkad Junction Location within India Show map of India Palakkad Junction Palakkad Junction (Kerala) Show map of Kerala Interactive map

Salem–Palakkad line
Legend
km 37  Mettur Dam 24  Mecheri Road to Bangalore City 8  Omalur Junction 3  Magnesite Junction to Jolarpettai Junction 0 Salem Junction to Vriddhachalam Junction Salem Steel Plant to Namakkal 7 Neykkarapatti 10 Virapandy Road 21 Madudanchavadi 33 Mavelipalaiyam 38 Sankaridurg State Highway 86 46 Anangur State Highway 79 55 Cauvery State Highway 198 River Kaveri to Karur Junction State Highway 83A 60 Erode Junction 61 Erode Diesel Loco Shed 66 Totiyapalayam 73 Perundurai 79 Ingur State Highway 96 87 Vijayamangalam 96 Uttukuli State Highway 81 State Highway 19A 103 Tiruppur Kulipalayam Tiruppur Ring Road 110 Tiruppur Tiruppur Ring Road State Highway 166 118 Vanjipalayam State Highway 165 128 Somanur 137 Sulur Road National Highway 544 144 Irugur Junction National Highway 181 162 Podanur Junction 14  Singanallur 9  Pilamedu National Highway 948 0  Coimbatore Junction 3  Coimbatore North Junction 14  Periyanaickenpalayam 26  Karaimadai 33  Mettupalayam Nilgiri Mountain Railway (metre-gauge) State Highway 162 to Pollachi Junction National Highway 948 ACC Limited plant 163 Madukkarai 168 Ettimadai Tamil Nadu Kerala border 177 Walayar 181 Chullimada 188 Kanjikode Malampuzha River 199 Kottekad 201 Palakkad Junction to Shoranur Junction
Source: Google Maps
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Location

Palakkad Junction aerial view

The station is located at 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from Palakkad KSRTC bus stand. Olavakkode is a suburb of Palakkad city and is located on NH 966 which connects Palakkad to Kozhikode. The station falls in the Palakkad railway division. It is one of the important railway stations of Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.^[6]

Lines

Palakkad Junction is located on Jolarpettai–Shoranur line and is the terminating point for the Palakkad–Madurai rail line. The other station serving the city is Palakkad Town railway station.

Infrastructure

The station is served by five platforms. Platforms 1, 2, and 3 are used for trains going towards Palakkad Town, Shoranur, Thrissur, and platforms 4 and 5 are mainly used for trains going towards Chennai. The electronic interlocking system, which will replace the prevailing route relay interlocking system, was completed.

MEMU Shed

A Mainline Electric Multiple Unit MEMU shed operates to maintain the suburban trains and is the first MEMU Shed in the state.^[7]

Recent Development

Pitline work has been started at Town Railway Station and is expected to start functioning by the end of 2024. This could make it not only a major railway hub in the city but also in the state.^[8]