Kumbakonam railway station is a railway station serving the city of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, India. The station is a part of the Tiruchirappalli railway division of the Southern Railway Zone and connects the city to various parts of the state as well as the rest of the country. The station was declared as cleanest railway station in Tamil Nadu and ranked fifth best in the national level in 2016. It is classified as an "A" category railway station in the Trichy railway division of the Southern Railway Zone. It is one of the busiest and top revenue generating stations of the Southern Railway zone. The shradha sethu express connected Kumbakonam to Ayodhya. The world famous Mahamaham tank is 3 km from the railway station.
History
The Kumbakonam railway station opened to passenger service on 15 February 1877, when the then South Indian Railway commenced rail traffic between Thanjavur and Mayavaram for a distance of 70.42 km. Swami Vivekananda on a yatra from Rameswaram alighted at Kumbakonam station on January 26, 1897, and it was on that day in Kumbakonam that he gave his clarion call ‘Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached’ to spur the people of the nation. A grand plaque installed by the Railways in the station proclaims the importance of the event.
Development
After serving the railways for decades, the British era vintage metre-gauge line was scrapped and the last passenger train on those tracks was operated between Kumbakonam and Chennai Egmore on 1 April 2004 following which the broad gauge tracks were laid. Gradually, the station came to have several facilities, including water filling for coaches and steam engines to enjoy the status of an important junction. Kumbakonam station developed remarkably, courtesy, the works implemented ahead of the Mahamaham festival in 2004. Now, a total of 36 trains patronise the station every day serving more than 5,000 passengers. Due to the strong patronage by the region's passengers and commuters, Kumbakonam has enjoyed ‘Grade A’ railway station status. Kumbakonam station is also rated as the fifth cleanest station in India and the cleanest station in Tamil Nadu, according to the survey of major railway stations for cleanliness ranking in 2016 commissioned by the Railways. The Thanjavur District Rail Users’ Association honoured the Railway officials and conservancy staff for cleanliness front on the occasion.
Location and layout
The railway station is located off the Kamarajar Road, Kumbakonam. The nearest bus depot is located in Kumbakonam while the nearest airport is situated away in Tiruchirappalli.Tiruchirapalli International Airport
The railway station is about 900 m away from Central Bus Station and 1000 m away from Town Bus stand. There are frequent town buses and mini bus services directly connected to Town Bus stand and Central Bus station.
