Puducherry railway station

Puducherry
புதுச்சேரி
Indian Railway Station

The Main Entrance of the Station
Location Subbiah Salai(South Blvd), Pondicherry
Coordinates 11°55′30″N 79°49′41″E / 11.9250°N 79.8281°E / 11.9250; 79.8281Coordinates: 11°55′30″N 79°49′41″E / 11.9250°N 79.8281°E / 11.9250; 79.8281
Owned by Indian Railways
Operated by Southern Railway zone
Line(s) Villupuram-Pondicherry branch line
Platforms 3
Tracks 4
Connections Taxi Stand, Auto Rickshaw stand
Construction
Structure type Standard (on ground station)
Parking Available
Bicycle facilities Available
Disabled access
Other information
Status Functioning
Station code PDY
Zone(s) Southern Railway zone
Division(s) Tiruchchirappalli
Fare zone Indian Railways
Route map

Puducherry railway station (Code:PDY) is a railway station serving the city of Pondicherry.

History

The Puducherry railway line is one of the oldest rail link in India and it was constructed in the year 1879 by the Puducherry Railway Company during the period of French and British rule in India. Under the supervision of South Indian Railway with the object of connecting the town and the port of Puducherry with South India and to develop the resources of the Puducherry Territory, the rail link between Puducherry and Villupuram has been established. Even though there was total enmity between the then Super Powers—the French and the English—when it came to economic development they had a very good understanding and the Puducherry Railway system was a good example of it.[1]

The station is operated by the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways and comes under the Tiruchirapalli railway division. This Division may be the only Division in the world maintaining the Railways developed by both the British and the French empires.

It has daily trains connecting the city with Chennai apart from non-daily trains towards prime cities including Mangaluru, Tiruchirapalli, Bengaluru, Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai via Villupuram.[2][3][4]

Location and Layout

The Puducherry railway station is located on Subbiah Salai and is very close to several tourist spots and important locations in the city such as the Main Bus Stand (1.3 km), Aurobindo Ashram (1.8 km), Chief Secretariat Building (1.9 km), and Puducherry Airport (6.8 km).[5]

There are 3 platforms in the station for passenger traffic and one for the now defunct goods service.[6] There have also been proposals for constructing 2 pit lanes in the station for train maintenance. The station underwent a major revamp in 2008 following the launch of new trains connecting it to various destinations.[5]

Facilities

The station has Computerised Reservation Center, ATMs, Book Stall, Passenger Care Center, Air-conditioned and Non Air-conditioned Waiting Rooms, Cloak Room, IRCTC Restaurants, Pre-Paid autorikshaw counters and Pre-paid parking space. [5]

References

  1. "SOUTHERN RAILWAY—TIRUCHCHIRAPPALLI DIVISION" (PDF).
  2. "Residents demand railway station". Puducherry. The Hindu. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
  3. C., Jaisankar (27 February 2013). "A dream-come-true Railway budget: Union Minister". Puducherry. The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
  4. "Bomb scare at railway station". Puducherry. The Hindu. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Hindu - Puducherry Railway Station". Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  6. "The Indian Express - Railway move to shift goods handling draws flak". Retrieved 2013-06-15.
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