Coimbatore Junction, also known as Kovai Junction, is the primary railway station serving the city of Coimbatore. It has 6 platforms. It is a Major Railway junction in South India and the second busiest railway station in Tamil Nadu in terms of passenger movement. Many trains from Kerala to other parts of the country pass through Coimbatore Junction apart from 9 pairs of terminating trains.

Though it has the tag Junction, technically it is not a junction; it is only a railway station. The real junctions are located at Coimbatore North Junction (2.6 km away from CBE on the northern side), Podanur (5.8 km away from CBE on the southern side)and Irugur(16 km from CBE on eastern side)

There is a food plaza maintained by the IRCTC located on platforms 1 and 2. Platform 1, 2, 3 and 4 have platform refreshment stalls. Waiting rooms are present in platforms 1 and 2. A fruit stall is available at the end of platforms 1 and 2. Light refreshment stalls are available on all the 1 to 4 platforms.

There are many tea and milk parlours and telephone booths are present in platforms 1, 2, 3, and 4 and on the front entrance.

Coimbatore (Tamil: கோயம்புத்தூர், pronounced [kɔəjmbaːʈɔrɪ]), also known as Kovai (Tamil: கோவை, pronounced [kɔʋaːəj] ( listen)), is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the 15th largest urban agglomeration in India with a metropolitan population of over 2 million. It is a major commercial centre and has often been referred to as the "Manchester of South India".

The Coimbatore region has been ruled by the Cheras, the Cholas, the later Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire and the Madurai Nayaks and is believed to have been named after a chieftain called Koyan. In the 17th century, the city became a part of the Kingdom of Mysore and remained so until its conquest by the British East India Company in 1799. The history of modern Coimbatore, however, dates from the 1930s, when the city grew rapidly capitalizing on a textile boom. Since then, the city has witnessed steady growth fueled by its favourable soil, climate and political and economic conditions.

Coimbatore is administered by the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation which comprises 100 wards grouped into five zones. It is situated on the banks of the Noyyal River in western Tamil Nadu and is surrounded by the Western Ghats on all sides. It is well connected by road, rail and air with major towns and cities in India.