Southern Railways is adding extra capacity on the busy Chennai-Mangaluru corridor ahead of Onam, announcing four special services to meet the demands of the festival travel rush. The weekly Express Special will operate between Dr MGR Chennai and Mangaluru Junction later this month.
Train Nos. 06127 and 06128 will offer two trips each, with services slated between August 21 and August 29. Southern Railway stated that the trains will run as “Trains on Demand”, whereas advance reservations opened at 8 am on August 19, 2026.
In its announcement on X, Southern Railway mentioned that the special weekly Express trains are being operated “to clear extra rush of passengers during the Onam festival.”
Chennai-Mangaluru Onam Special: Dates and timings
Train No. 06127 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Mangaluru Junction Weekly Express Special will leave from Dr MGR Chennai Central at 11:50 pm on August 21 and August 28, both Fridays. It will reach Mangaluru Junction at 5 pm the following day.
In its return journey, Train No. 06128 Mangaluru Junction-Dr MGR Chennai Central Weekly Express Special will leave Mangaluru Junction at 7:15 pm on August 22 and 29, both Saturdays. It will reach Dr MGR Chennai Central at 11:35 am on the next day.
Based on the announced departure and arrival timings, the scheduled journey is 17 hours and 10 minutes from Chennai to Mangaluru and 16 hours and 20 minutes from Mangaluru to Chennai.
Train 06127: Chennai to Mangaluru full schedule
As per the schedule shared by the Southern Railway, Train No.06127 will run as follows:
| Station | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|
| Dr MGR Chennai Central | — | 23:50 |
| Perambur | 00:03 | 00:05 |
| Arakkonam | 00:58 | 01:00 |
| Katpadi | 01:46 | 01:50 |
| Jolarpettai | 03:15 | 03:20 |
| Salem | 05:00 | 05:03 |
| Erode | 06:05 | 06:15 |
| Tiruppur | 06:58 | 07:00 |
| Podanur | 08:23 | 08:25 |
| Palakkad | 09:32 | 09:35 |
| Shoranur | 10:15 | 10:25 |
| Tirur | 11:09 | 11:10 |
| Kozhikode | 11:52 | 11:55 |
| Vadakara | 12:34 | 12:35 |
| Thalassery | 12:54 | 12:55 |
| Kannur | 13:22 | 13:25 |
| Payyanur | 13:54 | 13:55 |
| Nileshwar | 14:14 | 14:15 |
| Kanhangad | 14:26 | 14:27 |
| Kasaragod | 14:44 | 14:45 |
| Mangaluru Junction | 17:00 | — |
Train No 06128: Mangaluru to Chennai full schedule
For the train journey, Train No. 06128 will follow this schedule:
| Station | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|
| Mangaluru Junction | — | 19:15 |
| Kasaragod | 19:54 | 19:55 |
| Kanhangad | 20:13 | 20:14 |
| Nileshwar | 20:24 | 20:25 |
| Payyanur | 20:40 | 20:41 |
| Kannur | 21:42 | 21:45 |
| Thalassery | 22:05 | 22:06 |
| Vadakara | 22:26 | 22:27 |
| Kozhikode | 23:07 | 23:10 |
| Tirur | 00:01 | 00:02 |
| Shoranur | 00:50 | 01:00 |
| Palakkad | 01:57 | 02:00 |
| Podanur | 03:18 | 03:20 |
| Tiruppur | 04:10 | 04:12 |
| Erode | 05:05 | 05:15 |
| Salem | 06:07 | 06:10 |
| Jolarpettai | 08:00 | 08:05 |
| Katpadi | 09:13 | 09:15 |
| Arakkonam | 10:03 | 10:05 |
| Perambur | 10:53 | 10:55 |
| Dr MGR Chennai Central | 11:35 | — |
Here are the key stations covered by Onam specials
The special trains will serve the Chennai-Mangaluru corridor, offering festival season connectivity through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
Besides the original and terminating stations, the route covers Perambur, Erode, Katpadi, Podanur, Arakkonam, Erode, Jolarpettai, Salem, Palakkad, Vadakara, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kanhangad, Thalassery, Payyanur and Tiruppur and Shoranur.
Reservations open for Onam special trains
Advance reservations for Train Nos. 06127/06128 opened at 8 am on August 19, as stated by Southern Railway.
The additional services give passengers another option for travelling along the Chennai-Mangaluru corridor during the Onam period, with two departures available in each direction.