Southern Railway Zone of India is a part of the Indian Railways. It is the earliest of the 17 railway zones of independent India and is headquartered at Chennai Central Railway Station, in Chennai. It covers the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, a small portion of Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. Southern Railway serves these naturally plentiful and culturally rich southern Indian states and extends from Mangalore on the west coast of India and Kanyakumari in the south to Renigunta in the north-west and Gudur in the north-east. Southern Railway is the best known Indian transport system all across south India.
Historical Development of Southern Railway Zone of India
Southern Railway Zone of India came into existence on 14th of April, 1951, after the amalgamation of the three state railways. They were the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway and the Mysore State Railway.
Presently, Southern Railway Zone of India stretches for a length of about 9,654 kilometers (5,999 mi). It is lead by a General Manager. Southern Railway has a total staff strength of around 1, 05,111. As per estimations, the journeys of more than 50 crores passengers each year take place via Southern Railway. Southern Railway has developed multiple factories and sheds like locomotive sheds (diesel loco shed, electrical loco shed and steam loco shed). It also has mechanical workshops like central workshop at Ponmalai in Tiruchirapalli.
Divisions of Southern Railway Zone of India
Southern Railway Zone of India comprises of six divisions. They are the Chennai Railway Division, Tiruchirapalli Railway Division, Madurai Railway Division, Palakkad Railway Division, Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division and Salem Railway Division. Chennai Railway Division is headquartered at Chennai and has a route length of over 697.42 km. There are about 137 Indian railway stations under this division. Tiruchirapalli Railway Division is headquartered at Tiruchirapalli and has a length of about 1,026.55 km. Madurai Railway Division is headquartered at Madurai and there are about 150 railway stations under this division. Palakkad Railway Division is headquartered at Palakkad in Kerala. It has a length of about 588 kilometers. Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. This division covers a route track of about 625 km and has about 108 railway stations under it. Salem Railway Division is headquartered at Salem and has a route length of about 795 km.
