Villivakkam railway station

Villivakkam
வில்லிவாக்கம்
Station of Chennai Suburban Railway and Southern Railways

Villivakkam railway station
Location Villivakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates 13°6′37″N 80°12′33″E / 13.11028°N 80.20917°E / 13.11028; 80.20917Coordinates: 13°6′37″N 80°12′33″E / 13.11028°N 80.20917°E / 13.11028; 80.20917
Owned by Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways
Line(s) West, West North and West South lines of Chennai Suburban Railway
Platforms 4
Tracks 5
Construction
Structure type Standard on-ground station
Parking Available
Other information
Station code VLK
Fare zone Southern Railways
History
Electrified 29 November 1979[1]
Previous names South Indian Railway
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 32,000/day[2]

Villivakkam railway station is a railway station on the Chennai Central–Arakkonam section of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Located 9 km from Chennai Central railway station, the station serves the neighbourhood of Villivakkam, Kolathur and Padi. It has an elevation of 10.25 m above sea level.

History

Footbridge at Villivakkam railway station
A view of the station towards west

The first lines in the station were electrified on 29 November 1979, with the electrification of the Chennai Central–Tiruvallur section. Additional lines at the station were electrified on 2 October 1986, with the electrification of the Villivakkam–Avadi section.[1]

Facilities

The station has a foot overbridge for pedestrian, a level crossing and a vehicular subway. The vehicular subway, whose construction was started on 4 December 2007 and which replaced the previous level crossing 2,[3] was opened to traffic on 19 June 2012.[4] The 447.50-m-long subway linking north Villivakkam with south Villivakkam was built at a cost of 390 million, which also has a 2.5-m-wide bicycle lane.

About 900 tickets are issued every day at the station, of which 400 are from the northern side. In 2002, a ticket counter was opened on the northern side. However, it was closed down in 2005 owing to low patronage.[5]

Demographics

The nearby Kolathur area has around 500,000 people residing in 54 colonies, and about 25,000 people are daily using the service of Chennai suburban railway trains.[6] As of 2013, the station handles about 32,000 passengers a day.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "IR Electrification Chronology up to 31.03.2004". History of Electrification. IRFCA.org. Retrieved 17 Nov 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Go northwest, but don't take a train". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 Apr 2013.
  3. "Villivakkam subway thrown open". The Hindu. Chennai: The Hindu. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 2 Sep 2012.
  4. "Tamil Nadu infra gets better with new bridges, bypass, subway". The Asian Age. Chennai: Deccan Chronicle. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 20 Jun 2012.
  5. Lakshmi, K. (29 December 2007). "Better facilities sought at Villivakkam railway station". The Hindu. Chennai: The Hindu. Retrieved 2 Sep 2012.
  6. Mary, Angel Grace (26 June 2012). "'Ply more buses to Villivakkam railway station'". The New Indian Express. Chennai: The Indian Express Group. Retrieved 2 Sep 2012.
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