Southern Railway will operate four weekly Express Special trains connecting Kerala with West Bengal, Rajasthan and Bihar to meet the additional passenger demand expected during the Pooja and Diwali festive season.
The special services will operate on the Thiruvananthapuram North-Santragachi, Thiruvananthapuram Central-Madar Junction, Podanur-Barauni and Ernakulam Junction-Patna routes during October and November, with some services extending into December.
Thiruvananthapuram special train to Santragachi
Train No. 06081 Thiruvananthapuram North-Santragachi Express Special will depart Thiruvananthapuram North at 2:15 pm on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. It will reach Santragachi at 1:45 pm on the third day.
The return service, Train No. 06082 Santragachi-Thiruvananthapuram North Express Special, will leave Santragachi at 2:15 pm on October 5, 12, 19 and 26 and November 2. It will reach Thiruvananthapuram North at 9:55 am on the third day.
The train will stop at major stations including Kollam, Kayankulam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Palakkad, Salem, Katpadi, Renigunta, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Vizianagaram, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kharagpur and Santragachi.
The rake will comprise 18 AC Three-Tier coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans.
Thiruvananthapuram-Madar Junction special
Train No. 06013 Thiruvananthapuram Central-Madar Junction Express Special will run on October 21 and 28 and November 4, 11, 18 and 25. It will leave Thiruvananthapuram Central at 7:45 am and reach Madar Junction at 11 am on the third day.
Its return service, Train No. 06014 Madar Junction-Thiruvananthapuram Central Express Special, will operate on October 24 and 31 and November 7, 14, 21 and 28. It will depart Madar Junction at 9:40 pm and reach Thiruvananthapuram Central at 12:45 am on the fourth day.
The service will connect several major stations including Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod, Mangaluru Junction, Madgaon, Ratnagiri, Panvel, Vasai Road, Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Chittaurgarh and Ajmer.
Its composition will include one AC Two-Tier coach, four AC Three-Tier coaches, 13 AC Three-Tier Economy coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans.
Podanur-Barauni special to link Tamil Nadu and Bihar
Train No. 06021 Podanur-Barauni Express Special will run on October 4, 11, 18 and 25 and November 1. It will depart Podanur at 6:15 am and reach Barauni at 1:30 pm on the third day.
In the return direction, Train No. 06022 Barauni-Podanur Express Special will leave Barauni at 10:30 am on October 7, 14, 21 and 28 and November 4. It will reach Podanur at 6:30 pm on the third day.
The route includes Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Katpadi, Vijayawada, Warangal, Nagpur, Itarsi, Jabalpur, Katni, Satna, Prayagraj Chheoki, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Buxar, Ara, Danapur, Patliputra, Sonpur, Hajipur and Barauni.
The train will have three AC First Class-cum-AC Two-Tier coaches, one AC Two-Tier coach, 14 Sleeper Class coaches, four General Second Class coaches and two Divyangjan-friendly Second Class coaches.
Ernakulam-Patna special train during festive season
Train No. 06085 Ernakulam Junction-Patna Express Special will run on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. It will leave Ernakulam Junction at 9:30 pm and reach Patna at 3:30 am on the fourth day.
Train No. 06086 Patna-Ernakulam Junction Express Special will operate on October 6, 13, 20 and 27 and November 3. It will depart Patna at 12:10 am and reach Ernakulam Junction at 10:45 am on the third day.
The service will halt at major stations including Thrissur, Palakkad, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam Road, Palasa, Brahmapur, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kharagpur, Asansol, Jasidih, Kiul, Mokama, Bakhtiyarpur, Patna Saheb, Rajendra Nagar and Patna.
The rake will comprise two AC First Class-cum-AC Two-Tier coaches, four AC Three-Tier coaches, 10 Sleeper Class coaches, six General Second Class coaches and two luggage-cum-brake vans.
Southern Railway has introduced these additional services to provide more travel options during the Pooja and Diwali period and help accommodate the seasonal increase in passenger demand on long-distance routes.