Coimbatore or Kovai is a major city in the Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. It is the second largest city and

urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

in the state after

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

and the sixteenth largest urban agglomeration in India. It is administered by the

Coimbatore Municipal Corporation The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation is the civic body that governs the city of Coimbatore in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu after Greate ...

and is the administrative capital of

Coimbatore district Coimbatore District is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educa ...

. It is one of the fastest growing tier-II cities in India and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educational, information technology, healthcare and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu. It is often referred to as the "

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

" due to its cotton production and textile industries. Train service in Coimbatore started in 1861, upon construction of the

Podanur Podanur or Pothanoor or Pothanur (''Pōttaṉūr'') is a neighbourhood in the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Its history goes back to the creation of a major railway station and colony during British rule. The station was a major hu ...

–

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India. Coimbatore lies on the Coimbatore–Shoranur

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

railway line. Until 1956, the Coimbatore railway division was functioning with Podanur as its Headquarters. In 1956, the headquarters was shifted to Olavakkode, of Kerala , and was named Olavakkod railway division. In 1980, Olavakkod division was renamed Palakkad railway division. It comprised Kerala and western districts of Tamil Nadu. Ultimately, a new Salem railway division was carved out of the Palakkad railway division in 2006 with Salem as its headquarters. The city falls under the Salem Division of the

Southern Railway zone Southern Railway (SR) is one of the eighteen zones of Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Chennai and operates across the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and the union territory of Puducherry. The origin of the Southern Rai ...

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

. The major railway station is the which is the second largest income generating station in the

after

Chennai Central Chennai Central (officially Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, formerly Madras Central) (station code: MAS), is an NSG–1 category Indian railway station in Chennai railway division of Southern Railway zone ...

and is amongst the top hundred booking stations of

. Other major railway stations catering to the city include , and minor stations at

Peelamedu Peelamedu is a major commercial centre and residential locality in the Eastern part of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is governed by Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation since 1981. The growth of Peelamedu during the last de ...

Singanallur Singanallur is a major residential locality of the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the banks of Noyyal river, which runs to the southern boundary of the locality. It is situated in the eastern part of the city, and is ...

, , Perianaikanpalayam, , Somanur,

Sulur Sulur is a town located in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a suburb of Coimbatore. It is the headquarters of Sulur Taluk of Coimbatore district. There are many market places and many big retail and wholesale shops are avail ...

Thudiyalur Thudiyalur is a neighborhood in the city of Coimbatore, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is about north of Town Hall, Coimbatore, Town Hall. Thudiyalur is one of the fast-growing neighbourhoods of Coimbatore, due to the presence of many ...

List of railway stations

Metrorail

Three metrorail routes have been proposed. Two circular routes, in the northern and southern parts of the city and a dual linear line connecting the Eastern and Western parts. The Northern Route starts from

Gandhipuram Gandhipuram is a major place of the Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is named after Mahatma Gandhi. It was previously known as "Katoor". Gandhipuram evolved as the major public transportation hub after the construction of the central bu ...

via

Ganapathy Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hind ...

, Sivanandha colony, Saibaba colony, RS Puram, Townhall, and ends in Gandhipuram. The second circular route starts from via Trichy Road, Sungam, Redfields, Race Course, City railway station,

Ukkadam Ukkadam is a part of Townhall locality in the core part of the city of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Ukkadam Bus Terminal, which is one of the seven major bus stands in the city, is located in this neighborhood. Ukkadam is famous for its Fish M ...

and ends at Podanur. A linear line was also proposed from

Chinniampalayam Chinniampalayam is a part of Coimbatore, Coimbatore city. It lies on the main arterial Avinashi road, the most important road in the city. Chinniampalayam is one of the fast-growing neighbourhoods of Coimbatore. The Coimbatore International Airp ...

Coimbatore International Airport Coimbatore International Airport is an international airport and the primary airport serving the Coimbatore Metropolitan Area in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the neighborhood of Peelamedu, about from the center of the city. It is the ...

, CODISSIA, PSG Tech, Lakshmi Mills, Gandhipuram, , Cowley Brown Road and TNAU. Recently

Vadavalli Vadavalli is a neighborhood in Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the Marudamalai Road and has been under the jurisdiction of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation limits since 2007. Located at the foothills of t ...

and

Thondamuthur Thondamuthur is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comes under the Coimbatore Corporation. Thondamuthur is located 15 km west from the District headquarters Coimbatore, there are three routes available to re ...

are the two new areas that has been included in the linear line as part of the phase extension. In 2017,Tamil Nadu government announced that CMRL would prepare DPR and feasibility report for Coimbatore metro rail project and will be funded by German-based company.

Coimbatore suburban circular railway

Coimbatore suburban circular railway is a circular suburban railway planned for Coimbatore city. The circular railway line will help run through Coimbatore Junction, Podanur, Vellalore, Irugur, Singanallur, Peelamedu and Coimbatore North (see map). This will certainly help decongest the city roads. A senior official with the Salem division says if the revival of an old line can bring about so many benefits, it can be considered.

References

External links

{{Railways in Southern India

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...