Passengers travelling on Southern Railway routes over the next month have two important travel updates. To clear the extra rush of passengers, the railway zone has announced Tri-Weekly Express trains between Podanur and Dr MGR Chennai Central from July 3 to August 2, 2026. It has also announced the temporary regulation of the Mangaluru Central-Dr MGR Chennai Central West Coast Express (Train No. 22638) on selected days in July and August because of a Fixed Time Corridor Block in the Palakkad Division.
In its official post on X, Southern Railways appealed to passengers to check train schedules in advance before planning their journey. “To clear the extra rush of passengers, Tri-Weekly Express Special Train will operate between Podanur and Dr MGR Chennai Central from 03.07.2026 to 02.08.2026,” the railway mentioned while announcing the additional services.
Extra weekend services between Podanur and Chennai
The special trains will provide services every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from July 3 to August 2, with 15 services in each direction during the one-month period. Advanced bookings for these trains have started from 6 pm on July 2.
According to Southern Railway, Train No.06028 Podanur-Dr. MGR Chennai Central Tri-Weekly Express Special will start from Podanur at 7:40 am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and will reach Dr MGR Chennai Central at 4:45 pm the same day.
In the return direction, Train No. 06027 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Podanur Tri-Weekly Express will depart from Dr MGR Chennai Central at 5:45 pm on the same days and will arrive at Podanur at 3 am the following day.
The trains will have stoppages at Tiruppur, Morappur, Salem, Erode, Arakkonam, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, and Perambur in both directions.
West Coast Express to face temporary en-route delays
Southern Railway has also announced the temporary regulation of Train No. 22638 Mangaluru Central-Dr MGR Chennai West Coast Express because of a Fixed Time Corridor Block in the Palakkad Division.
The train, which leaves from Mangaluru Central at 11:45 pm will witness en-route delays of 50 minutes on July 5, 12, 19, 26 and August 2. On July 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 30 and August 4, it will instead be regulated with an en-route delay of 30 minutes.
Explaining the temporary change, Southern Railway stated on X, “Due to the Fixed Time Corridor Block in Palakkad Division, Train No. 22638 Mangaluru Central-Dr MGR Chennai Central West Coast Express will experience temporary en-route delays on selected dates during July -August 2026. Passengers are requested to check the revised timings and plan their journey accordingly.”
Passengers advised to check schedules before travel
Southern Railway had advised passengers travelling on the affected routes to verify train timings before heading for their journey.
While the Podanur-Chennai special trains have been introduced to clear the extra rush of passengers, travellers on the West Coast Express are urged to factor in the temporary route delays while planning their travel.