Kerala railway stations see revenue surge: Thiruvananthapuram enters ₹300-crore club
Payyanur: Railway stations in Kerala have witnessed a major leap in passenger revenue. In the 2025-26 financial year, Thiruvananthapuram Central made history by entering the ₹300-crore club, generating ₹319.21 crore. This is a notable increase from the previous year’s ₹288.32 crore.
Ernakulam Junction secured the second spot with ₹267.50 crore, an increase of ₹17.55 crore over the previous year. Kozhikode remains the third highest earner in the state, growing by ₹28.51 crore to reach a total of ₹218.63 crore.
A remarkable shift occurred in the rankings as Kannur climbed to the sixth position, overtaking Palakkad. Meanwhile, Aluva moved from 10th to 9th place after crossing the ₹100-crore mark. These figures were revealed in a Right to Information (RTI) response obtained by Nikhil S Anand, a native of Pathanamthitta.
State-level revenue comparison (in ₹ Crore)
| Station | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 281.12 | 288.32 | 319.21 |
| Ernakulam Jn. | 241.71 | 249.95 | 267.50 |
| Kozhikode | 190.12 | 190.00 | 218.63 |
| Thrissur | 164.79 | 166.66 | 195.44 |
| Ernakulam Town | 139.10 | 146.76 | 164.93 |
| Kannur | 121.62 | 123.74 | 136.11 |
| Palakkad | 119.35 | 138.12 | 132.11 |
| Kollam | 103.01 | 108.99 | 120.85 |
| Aluva | 83.20 | 85.85 | 100.45 |
| Kottayam | 88.89 | 87.55 | 89.53 |
North Malabar performance: Kannur leads, Kasaragod dips
In North Malabar, Kannur remains the undisputed leader. Its revenue rose to ₹136.11 crore in 2025-26, aided by record earnings from Vande Bharat Express services.
Conversely, Kasaragod saw a slight decline, earning ₹48.12 crore compared to ₹49.39 crore the previous year, narrowly missing the ₹50-crore club once again. Other stations like Thalassery and Payyanur showed steady growth.
North Malabar revenue breakdown (in ₹ Crore)
| Station | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
| Kannur | 121.62 | 123.74 | 136.11 |
| Kasaragod | 49.70 | 49.39 | 48.12 |
| Thalassery | 40.96 | 40.32 | 45.12 |
| Payyanur | 24.62 | 24.58 | 26.75 |
| Kanhangad | 18.82 | 18.66 | 19.92 |
| Nileshwaram | 7.84 | 7.72 | 8.49 |
| Pazhayangadi | 4.67 | 4.95 | 5.34 |
| Cheruvathur | 4.47 | 4.55 | 4.98 |
Growth drivers
While the 2024-25 fiscal saw a rise in rail passengers due to NH construction delays, the 2025-26 growth is attributed to improved punctuality and station expansion. Both reserved and unreserved categories saw higher earnings. Notably, the two Vande Bharat trains operating in Kerala generated a combined ₹168 crore in the 2024-25 period.