Diwali 2026: Southern Railway Announces 6 Special Trains to Reduce Festival Rush

Southern Railway has announced several special trains from Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu to manage the additional passenger rush during Diwali 2026. The special services will connect Chennai with Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, Sengottai, Rameswaram, Coimbatore, Nagercoil and Thiruvananthapuram. Reservations for the newly announced trains opened at 8 AM on November 3, 2026.

With increased passenger demand expected during the Deepavali festive season, these additional services are intended to provide more travel options for people heading to their hometowns and returning to Chennai after the celebrations.

Chennai–Kanyakumari and Tenkasi Special Trains

The Chennai Egmore–Kanyakumari special train (06151) will depart Chennai Egmore at 11:50 PM on November 5 and reach Kanyakumari at 3:15 PM on November 6. The return service (06152) will leave Kanyakumari at 11:20 PM on November 9 and arrive at Chennai Egmore at noon on November 10.

A Tambaram–Tenkasi special train (06049) will depart at 5 AM on November 7 and reach Tenkasi at 4:45 PM. The return service from Sengottai (06050) will leave at 3 PM on November 9 and reach Tambaram at 3:20 AM on November 10.

Southern Railway has also announced a one-way special train (06104) from Rameswaram to Chennai Egmore on November 5.

Chennai–Coimbatore and Nagercoil Special Services

Passengers travelling towards Coimbatore can use the Chennai Central–Podanur special train (06023), which will leave Chennai Central at 11:55 PM on November 6 and arrive at Podanur at 9:15 AM on November 7.

The return service (06024) will depart Podanur at 11:30 PM on November 9 and reach Chennai Central at 9:35 AM on November 10.

Additionally, the Tambaram–Nagercoil special train (06153) will depart at 11:55 PM on November 6 and reach Nagercoil at 3:30 PM on November 7. Its return service (06154) will leave Nagercoil at 9 PM on November 9 and arrive at Tambaram at 11:30 AM on November 10.

Special Trains Between Chennai and Kerala

Southern Railway has also arranged additional services connecting Chennai with Thiruvananthapuram.

The Thiruvananthapuram North–Tambaram special (06164) will depart at 8 PM on November 10 and arrive at Tambaram at 11 AM on November 11. Its return service (06163) will leave Tambaram at 2 PM on November 11 and reach Thiruvananthapuram North at 5 AM on November 12.

Another special train (06158) will operate from Thiruvananthapuram North to Chennai Egmore, departing at 7:40 PM on November 10 and arriving at 1 PM on November 11. The return service (06157) will leave Chennai Egmore at 3:15 PM on November 11 and reach Thiruvananthapuram North at 7:15 AM on November 12.

Passengers Advised to Check Train Availability

Passengers planning Diwali travel are advised to check seat availability, boarding stations and train schedules using the IRCTC website or authorised railway reservation channels.

As these are limited-date festival special services, travellers should verify their exact train number and journey date before booking.

The additional trains are expected to provide relief to passengers travelling from Chennai towards southern Tamil Nadu, western Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the busy Deepavali travel period.