Chengannur railway station

Chengannur railway station is an 'A category' station located at Chengannur in Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the busiest stations in the Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kollam Junction-Kottayam-Ernakulam route, primarily due to the Sabarimala pilgrims. The station is managed by Southern Railway under the Thiruvananthapuram Railway division.HistoryChengannur rail link came into existence in 1958 when Ernakulam - Kottayam meter gauge railway line was extended to Kollam Junction.The railway line between Trivandrum Central and Ernakulam Junction via Kottayam was converted to broad gauge in 1976.SignificanceChengannur railway station is the nearest rail station to reach famous pilgrimage places like Sabarimala, Pandalam, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, Parumala Church and Maramon. The railway station has been declared as 'Gateway of Sabarimala' by Indian Railways in 2009. It serves the people of 3 districts - Alappuzha, Kollam and Pathanamthitta. The proposed Aranmula Airport is 11 km away from the station.