# Manamadurai Junction railway station

Manamadurai Junction railway station (station code: MNM) is an NSG–5 category Indian railway station in Madurai railway division of Southern Railway zone. It serves Manamadurai, located in Sivaganga district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the two major railway junctions in Sivaganga district and the other one is Karaikudi Junction. Manamadurai junction is the only four branched junction in the district. It has totally 5 platforms, in which only 3 are functioning and last two are used for docking unscheduled and freight trains.

## History

This station was constructed as a part of the Madurai Rameswaram Branch Railway line, built in Colonial India in 1902. This line was mainly constructed to connect the Indian province with Ceylon Province. Later, after the annexation of Sivagangai Estate, a 20 km branch line was constructed between Manamadurai and Sivaganga which converted this station into a railway junction and became the first junction in the Ramnad region. Pamban became a junction when a 17 km branch line was built between Pamban and Dhanushkodi; after the 1964 rameswaram cyclone, that branch line was closed. After India gained independence, a new railway line was constructed between Manamadurai and Virudhunagar under the rule of Kamaraj. This was the first railway line in Tamil Nadu to be built after Indian Independence.

## Location and layout

Manamadurai Junction is located close to its district headquarters, Sivagangai, which is 20 km away; it is 50 km away from its railway divisional headquarters Madurai. This railway junction has 6 railway tracks and 5 platforms, usually crowded in the morning and night. It has the second-largest curve.
The junction connects with Virudhunagar, Karaikudi, Madurai and Rameswaram. Its facilities include a clean waiting hall, food, large parking space, Railway Protection Force (RPF) police station, and Railway Hospital facilities within the station complex premise. A retiring room, railway canteen, and adequate restrooms are also available at this junction. The nearby bus stand is well connected with the Cochin - Rameswaram Interstate Corridor National Highway (NH45), which is also an Asian Highway Network which is numbered AH43, which gives round-the-clock bus connectivity to various places nearby.
There is also a goods terminal that generates huge revenue for the entire Madurai railway division. Mostly the goods handled here are loading and sending charcoal to various parts of India. The nearby SIDCO and SIPCOT (industrial complex area by the government of Tamil Nadu) also contribute considerable profit to this junction. Goods unloaded here include some civil supplies for the Sivagangai district where it is located and various raw materials for those industries present near Sivagangai and Manamadurai regions.

## Lines and sections

The Manamadurai Junction has four rail branches, leading to Madurai, Virudhunagar, Karaikudi and Rameswaram. It is a main railway junction, so all trains have to make a technical halt at this junction.

## Performance and earnings

For the FY 2022–23, the annual earnings of the station was ₹60,227,382 (US$720,000) and daily earnings was ₹165,007 (US$2,000). For the same financial year, the annual passenger count was 388,500 and daily count was 1,064. While, the footfall per day was recorded as 2,067.

## Trains operated

It is a major stopping for The following trains:

### Daily running

Some of the daily running trains include
* Madurai Rameswaram Passenger
* Virudhunagar - Karaikudi - Tiruchirapalli DEMU
* Tiruchirapalli - Rameswaram Express
* Rameswaram - Chennai Egmore (Sethu Superfast Express)
* Rameswaram - Chennai Egmore (Boat Mail Express)

### Weekly/Bi,tri,tetra,penta weekly trains

* Sengottai - Chennai Egmore (Silambu Superfast Express)
* Kanniyakumari - Rameswaram Express
* Puducherry - Kanniyakumari Express
* Rameswaram - Ayodhya Cantt. (Shraddha Setu Express)
* Rameswaram - okha Express
* Rameswaram - Ajmer Humsafar Express
* Rameswaram - Tirupati Express (Meenakshi Express)
* Rameswaram - Coimbatore Express
* Rameswaram - Bhubaneswar Express
* Rameswaram - SSS Hubali junction Express
* Velankanni - Ernakulam jn. Express
* Rameswaram - Firozpur Cantt. Humsafar Express
* Rameswaram - Banaras SF Express

## Special docking

Due to the New Pamban Bridge being under construction, rail services to Rameswaram is temporarily closed. All trains must have to terminate at Mandapam railway station. Since it is a small station with only 2 platforms, all the long expresses and superfast expresses that run towards Rameswaram are docked in the non-functioning 4th and 5th platforms of Manamadurai junction for water filling and Rake maintenance. Trains like Ayodhya Rameswaram exp, Okha Rameswaram Exp, etc. make a technical dock at this station for water filling and rake maintenance