Mangalore Central railway station (station code: MAQ) is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the main railway terminus in the city of Mangalore which lies in the heart of the city. It is one of the major railway stations in Karnataka state and it is the biggest terminal station under Palakkad railway division. There is also another railway station named Mangalore Junction railway station, previously known as Kankanady railway station. The Mangalore region provides the highest freight revenue to the Palakkad division, which sums up to 90 per cent of the total revenue which the Palakkad division generates. Mangalore Central comes under the Southern Railway and also provides connectivity for Konkan Railway and South Western Railway of the Indian Railways. It is one of the 5 central railway stations of India.

Mangalore Junction railway station (formerly Kankanadi railway station is an NSG–3 category Indian railway station in Palakkad railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is an important railway station connecting Konkan, Western Ghat and Malabar railways and is also the gateway to the port city of Mangalore located at Darbar Hill, Padil, Mangalore, 575007. The station is a junction interconnecting Mangalore Central railway station with Kerala in the south, Maharashtra/Goa and Mangalore Sea Port in the north and Bangalore–Chennai in the east. It is the busiest railway junction in the area, as all north- and southbound trains touch Mangalore through this station.