Kochi

Kochi is well connected by air, road, rail and ferry from others parts of India, and to some international destinations.

By train

Kochi is well connected by train from all parts of India. Most Kerala-bound trains have a major stop here. There are two major rail terminals inside the city limits.

Ernakulam Town Station

North Station, IR Code : ERN, ☎ +91 484 2395198, is mainly for Inter City trains and a few long distance trains.

Ernakulam Junction Station

South Station, IR Code : ERS ☎ +91 484 2353751 service inquiries ☎ 131, ☎ 133, reservations ☎ 132, ☎ 1361 is a major Indian railways station. Most of the long distance trains to and from Kerala pass through here. There is a good food court, large waiting areas, book shops, a medical shop and a few retiring rooms along with a dorm. Some of the major trains that pass through this station are:

Train Number	Train Name	From
2431	Rajdhani Express Luxury	NizammudinDelhi, Bhopal, Pune, Mumbai, Goa
2284	Duronto Express Non-Stop	NizammudinDelhi
2623	Madras Mail	Chennai, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur
3351	Dhanbad Express	Dhanbad, Ranchi, Vizag, Chennai, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore
6324	Shalimar Express	Calcutta, Bhubaneswar, Vizag, Chennai, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore
2511	RaptiSagar Express	Lucknow, Kanpur, Bhopal, Nagpur, Pune, Vijayawada, Chennai, Coimbatore
7230	Sabari Express	Hyderabad, Tirupati, Erode, Salem, Coimbatore
2625	Kerala Express	New Delhi, Agra, Bhopal, Nagpur, Vijayawada, Thirupathi, Salem, Coimbatore
2643	SwarnaJayanti Express	New Delhi
2653	Kerala Samparkranti Express	Chandigarh
6346	Netravati Express	Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore
1098	Poorna Express	Pune
6309	Patna Express	Patna, Gwalior, Nagpur, Pune, Hubli, Mangalore
2683	Bangalore Super-fast Express	Bangalore, Salem, Coimbatore, Palakkad
2977	Marusagar Express	Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore
2507	Guwahati Express	Guwahati Assam, Calcutta, Bhuvaneswar, Hyderabad, Salem, Erode Coimbatore

Kochi has many suburban railway stations where long distance trains stop, such as Aluva, Thripunithura and Angamally. Book in advance, as trains are usually crowded. Reservations are available from 3 months in advance of the travel date. Depending upon the season and day bookings may close up to several days prior to departure with all remaining travellers going onto a waiting list. You can also try using Tatkal which is an emergency booking system costing Rs 150 above the normal rate. The 'Tatkal service opens one dayexcluding the day of journey from the train originating station before the departure of the train.

One of the best ways to get to Kochi is to take the Konkan Railway train from Mumbai. The train ride is renowned for the breathtaking scenery and the natural beauty of the terrain.

By car

Kochi is well connected by road from all parts of the state as well as other major cities. Three major national highways connect Kochi with other parts of country.

NH 66, the 7th longest highway in India, connects Kochi with Mumbai via most of major towns in Malabar, Mangalore, Goa and go upto Thiruvananthapuram.

The heavily congested NH 544 connects Kochi with Palakkad continues on to Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu and further to Bangalore.

NH 49 connects Kochi with Ramaeswaram in Tamil Nadu which passes through Madurai via Munnar.

Kochi is well connected to other parts of state through various state highways.

By plane

Cochin International Airport IATA: COK, ICAO: VOCI (http://www.cochin-airport.in), General tel: +91 484 305-3000, Flight status and Airline desk transfer: ☎ 91 484 2610115, +91 484 2611322, +91 484 2610033. Located in Nedumbassery, 29 km from the city center, this is the largest airport in Kerala and one of major gateway to India.

Regular flights to the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia. There are regular direct chartered services from Europe and the USA during tourist season, with scheduled connections there planned by 2013.

There is a duty free area at the international terminal providing a good collection of international premium brand liquors, perfumes, chocolates and other items at competitive prices.

By bus

Kochi is accessible from all southern parts of the country as well as other parts of the state, through the extensive state run Kerala Road Transport Corporation KSRTC bus services and services of neighboring state transport corporations.

KSRTC operates 3 types of services; Super Fast No Frills, Express Standard non-A/C and Garuda Hi-techVolvo premium. Karnataka State buses run daily services from Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore with three types of services; the Rajahamsa executive service, with reclining seats, the Airavat A/c service, with reclining semi-sleeper seats, and Ambaari A/c sleeper service. Tamil Nadu SETC operates superfast and executive services to many destinations like Madurai,Ooty, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli,Salem, and Trichy. Most inter-state buses start and end their journey from KSRTC Central & Inter-state Bus Station CBS, located in the heart of the city at Rajaji Rd. To reduce congestion at CBS, some local route KSRTC buses start/end their services at KSRTC Boat Jetty Stand located in Park Avenue.

Apart from govt services, numerous private bus companies operates scheduled services to almost all major cities in South India as well as Mumbai, Goa etc. All these buses are executive or premium services offering air-conditioned travel with good facilities and higher prices to match. Several online bus booking sites like RedBus (http://www.redbus.in//) Ticketkaran (http://www.ticketkaran.in//Raj) National Express (http://rajnationalexpress.in//) KPN Travels (http://kpntravels.in//) Customer Needz (http://www.customerneedz.com//) TicketGoose.com (http://www.ticketgoose.com/) Via.com (http://www.via.com/) helps to find right service.