Carmelaram Railway Station, Bangalore


Honestly, how many of you have heard of it? There are trains to Calicut from this station. Every day. Around eight-thirtyish every night, a lot of Malayalees gather here. The station is at the edge of Bangalore, on Sarjapura main road.

While on the platform, look left towards the city and you see an orange sky. To the right, a crisp dark blue sky twinkling with stars. Usually, the cold wind shakes the trees lining the second platform. There are no boards indicating the positions of coaches; no announcement when the train is near. A lady in a blue saree rings a circular metal ring. Many passengers huddle around her and ask where their coach would stop. You have three minutes to board the train.

Coming back from the city’s traffic to this place is startling. The first thing you notice is Silence. The kind where you can hear a leaf rustling. Arrival shatters this barrier – to the point where your heart pounds as the train slows down to a halt.

My two-year old son loves going to this station and often, so do I.

9 Comments

Filed under Bangalore

9 Responses to Carmelaram Railway Station, Bangalore

  1. Well, I too love this idyllic station, it still lives in the past and that’s great feature of any station that doesn’t see much traffic, especially the ones that were/are in the rural India (wonder if they’re still there). Long hours of nothingness is somethig that you can collect here in amples, priceless!

    ~

  2. Raajesh

    Hi,

    Thanks for the info. How safe is this station? Do you have any bus routes connecting this station from Outer Ring Road / Marathahalli?

    It will be a great help to me, if you can provide me this info.

    Thanks in Advance,

    Raajesh N

    • occasionalhumanity

      Hi Raajesh,

      The station is safe (and these days, getting more and more crowded).

      You should be able to board any bus to Sarjapura and get off at Carmelaram bus station. The railway station is about three minutes away by foot. I don’t know the exact bus number though.

      Oh, and in the IRCTC website, I think Carmelaram is spelled Karmelaram :)

      Cheers!

  3. Chennaiite

    the mallu state bound train coming from yesweventa pura has a stop here. Its daily train

  4. Beena Anirudh

    Hello,
    I don’t know what it is about train stations that fascinate me so much. I get excited by the mere thought of traveling in a train; not so much for the joy of sitting in a compartment but for the sheer joy I experience when it stops at various stations and I can gaze out of the window at the sights and scenes outside. The Carmalram station has brought back that joy to my life. I share the enthusiasm of my 2 year old son when I have to see someone off at the station or to receive my parents when they come to Bangalore. I am waiting for the day when they will have multiple platforms here and we will have to fight for a place to sit in the waiting room…

  5. Alex

    I have nostalgic memories of this Carmelaram Railway station. This love started way back in 1981 and was renewed in 2000; where even my son, who was about 2 years old then liked this place and the rushing trains. It is a world by itself away from the busy Bangalore (sorry! Bangaluru). Alex

  6. anirudhan

    carmelram is super and its nearer to outer ring road
    regards
    anirudhan

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