Southern Railway Announces Festival Special Trains for Pooja and Deepavali 2026; Bookings Open September 20

With the Pooja and Deepavali festival season approaching, Southern Railway has announced special train services during October and November 2026 to handle the expected increase in passenger traffic. Reservations for the announced festival special trains will open on September 20.

The Thiruvananthapuram North–Santragachi Express Special will operate on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. The train will depart Thiruvananthapuram North at 2:15 PM and stop at key Tamil Nadu stations including Podanur, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi and Tiruttani. Return services from Santragachi are scheduled for October 5, 12, 19, 26 and November 2.

For Chennai passengers, the Thiruvananthapuram Central–Madar Junction Express Special will stop at Perambur, providing additional connectivity between Kerala and Rajasthan. Services from Thiruvananthapuram Central are scheduled for October 21 and 28 and November 4, 11, 18 and 25.

The Ernakulam–Patna Express Special will also stop at Podanur, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi and Perambur. It will operate from Ernakulam on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, with return services from Patna on October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3.

The additional services are expected to provide more travel options for passengers during the Pooja and Deepavali holiday rush.