Southern Railway Announces 52 Special Train Services; Benefits Sabarimala Pilgrims
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Southern Railway has announced several special train services for the upcoming Pooja, Deepavali and Sabarimala pilgrimage season, providing additional connectivity between Kerala and major destinations across southern, western, northern and eastern India.
The services, operating from September to November 2026, are expected to benefit devotees travelling to Sabarimala for the upcoming Mandalam–Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
Among the major services are the Charlapalli–Nagercoil, Thiruvananthapuram Central–Madar, Ernakulam–Patna, Chennai Egmore–Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram North–Santragachi special trains.
The Charlapalli–Nagercoil Special (07535/07536) will operate five services in each direction from September 25 to October 25, connecting major stations including Guntur, Vijayawada, Chennai Egmore, Tambaram, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Tirunelveli.
The Thiruvananthapuram Central–Madar Special (06013/06014) will operate six services in each direction between October 21 and November 28, connecting Kerala with major destinations including Mangaluru, Madgaon, Panvel, Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam and Ajmer.
The Ernakulam–Patna Special (06085/06086) will run five services in each direction between October 2 and November 3, providing connectivity to major destinations across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar.
The Chennai Egmore–Kollam Special (06117/06118) will operate five services in each direction from October 1 to 30, with key stops in Kerala including Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Chengannur and Kollam.
The Thiruvananthapuram North–Santragachi Special (06081/06082) will also operate five services in each direction during October and early November, connecting Kerala with destinations across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.
Southern Railway has additionally extended the operation of the Thiruvananthapuram Central–Tambaram Special (06110) and Tambaram–Thiruvananthapuram Central Special (060109), with six additional services scheduled between September 23 and October 29.
For Sabarimala pilgrims, the special services provide additional rail connectivity to important gateway stations such as Chengannur, Kottayam and Kollam, which serve as key railheads for onward travel to Sabarimala.
The long-distance services will also provide additional travel options for devotees travelling from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and northern and eastern parts of the country during the pilgrimage season.
Southern Railway has announced 52 special train services across five major routes for the Pooja, Deepavali and Sabarimala pilgrimage season, while 12 additional services of existing special trains have also been extended to meet the expected travel demand. The services will strengthen connectivity between Kerala and major destinations across southern, western, northern and eastern India, providing additional travel options for Sabarimala pilgrims during the peak pilgrimage season.
Passengers can make advance reservations through IRCTC, railway reservation counters and other authorised channels. Train timings and seat availability can be checked through the NTES platform, while railway assistance is available through Rail Madad 139.