Tiruchi Railway Junction remains on top in passenger movement and earnings in the division

The Tiruchi Railway Junction remains on top in Tiruchi Railway Division in terms of originating passenger movement and earnings during the 2023-2024 fiscal.  A major station in the Southern Railway zone, the Tiruchi Junction handled 79.23 lakh originating passengers, including 51.8 lakh unreserved travellers, in the last fiscal. 

The Tiruchi Railway Junction remains on top in Tiruchi Railway Division in terms of originating passenger movement and earnings during the 2023-2024 fiscal.  A major station in the Southern Railway zone, the Tiruchi Junction handled 79.23 lakh originating passengers, including 51.8 lakh unreserved travellers, in the last fiscal. 

The details of the originating passenger movements and the earnings of Tiruchi Junction and other stations throughout the country was put out in a recent communication issued by the Railway Board, New Delhi. The communication was sent to all railway zones for categorisation of railway stations. The categorisation of railway stations is done every five years and the revision of categorisation of stations was due for 2024-25, the communication said.

According to the communication, the categorisation of railway stations is based on the similar criteria as done in the year 2017-18 in terms of passenger earnings (passenger reservation system + unreserved ticketing system) and the number of outward passengers handled at railway stations for 2023-24.  The railway wise and category wise segregation of railway stations under different categories, as per the criteria adopted, has been done based on the data furnished by the zonal railways for 2023-24.

The Tiruchi Junction is categorised as a non-suburban grade (NSG) 3 station. As per the Railway Board communication, Tiruchi Junction handled 27.43 lakh originating reserved passengers and 51.8 lakh unreserved passengers during 2023-24. The earnings of this station from originating reserved and unreserved passengers was ₹165.68 crore during this period. The station has been proposed to be categorised as an NSG 2 station, according to the communication.

The Thanjavur Junction, which is a NSG 3 station, handled 42.51 lakh passengers (reserved and unreserved put together) during 2023-24 with the total earnings being ₹51.6 crore. Kumbakonam, another important station in Tiruchi Division and coming under the NSG 4 category, handled 22.27 lakh originating reserved and unreserved passengers with the total earnings generated being ₹33.34 crore. 

Mayiladuthurai Junction, an NSG 4 station, handled 21.15 lakh originating reserved and unreserved passengers. The total earnings were ₹31.1 crore. Nagapattinam station, which is NSG 4 station, handled 12.92 lakh passengers with the total earnings generated being ₹24.6 crore. This station is proposed to be categorised as NSG 3, as per the communication.