The Manchester of South India
Coimbatore, known for its textile mills and engineering industries, is often called the Manchester of South India, and Coimbatore Junction (code CBE) carries the weight of that economy. About 165 trains a day use the station, and it contributes nearly 45% of the revenue of Southern Railway's Salem division. It is graded NSG-2 and is among the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways.
Podanur first, Coimbatore second
The railway reached the Coimbatore area at Podanur, a few kilometres south, which opened in 1862 on the Madras Railway's line from Madras towards the west coast. Coimbatore city got its own station when a branch was built, and Coimbatore Junction became operational on 1 February 1873.
- 1956: the railway division headquarters moves from Podanur to Olavakkode (Palakkad).
- 2006: Coimbatore becomes part of the newly formed Salem division.
Five lines
- Jolarpettai–Shoranur main line, linking Chennai and Bengaluru with Kerala
- Chennai–Coimbatore line
- Coimbatore–Shoranur line, through the Palakkad Gap into Kerala
- Coimbatore–Pollachi line, south towards Palani and Dindigul
- Coimbatore–Mettupalayam branch, north to the foot of the Nilgiris
Up to Ooty
The Mettupalayam branch is the reason many tourists come to CBE. At Mettupalayam begins the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO-listed metre-gauge rack railway that climbs to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam (Ooty). Find it on our heritage trains page.
Coimbatore's layout
CBE has 6 side platforms on 15 tracks, at an elevation of about 411 metres, and is one of 73 Tamil Nadu stations selected for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Trains from Kovai
Coimbatore is linked to Chennai Central by Shatabdi and Vande Bharat trains and by the popular Kovai Express, named after the city's Tamil nickname, and to Bengaluru, Kerala, Mumbai and Delhi by long-distance services. Compare them in our timetable search.