What summer specials include

Southern Railway has added summer special trains from Chennai and Tambaram to Santragachi and Mumbai, with bookings already open for departures starting April 19 and April 20. (newindianexpress.com) The Chennai Central–Santragachi special leaves at 11:45 p.m. on April 20 and April 27, both Mondays, and reaches Santragachi at 7:45 a.m. on the third day. The return train leaves Santragachi at 10:45 a.m. on April 22 and April 29 and reaches Chennai Beach at 7:30 p.m. the next day. (newindianexpress.com) A separate Tambaram–Santragachi special leaves at 10:15 a.m. on April 21 and April 28, both Tuesdays, and reaches Santragachi at 6:30 p.m. the next day. Southern Railway said advance reservation for these trains is open. (newindianexpress.com) On the Mumbai route, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Chennai special runs every Sunday from April 19 to June 7, leaving at 12:20 a.m. and reaching Chennai at 11:30 p.m. the same day. The return service leaves Chennai at 4:00 a.m. every Monday from April 20 to June 8 and reaches Mumbai at 4:15 a.m. the next day. (newindianexpress.com, punekarnews.in) The extra trains are built around mixed coach sets rather than a single class. Central Railway said its Mumbai–Chennai weekly specials carry 1 air-conditioned two-tier coach, 6 air-conditioned three-tier coaches, 9 sleeper coaches, 4 general second-class coaches, and 2 guard-cum-brake vans. (punekarnews.in) Southern Railway has used a similar summer pattern on other April 2026 specials, including 1 air-conditioned two-tier coach, 2 air-conditioned three-tier coaches, 8 sleeper coaches, 4 general second-class coaches, 1 second-class coach marked Divyangjan-friendly, and 1 luggage-cum-brake van on the extended Mettupalayam–Tirunelveli service announced on April 1. (sr.indianrailways.gov.in) That mix shows what passengers can expect from the summer-special model: reserved air-conditioned berths for long-distance travelers, sleeper and second-seating space for lower fares, and in some cases a dedicated coach for passengers with disabilities plus extra luggage capacity. Southern Railway’s recent releases have explicitly named Divyangjan-friendly and luggage-cum-brake coaches in those compositions. (sr.indianrailways.gov.in, dtnext.in) Indian Railways is adding these trains as schools close and intercity demand rises across April, May, and June. News reports on April 15 said the wider 2026 summer push includes at least 29 additional services on Andhra Pradesh routes alone. (indiatoday.in) Tickets for the Mumbai–Chennai weekly specials opened on April 15 through reservation centres and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation website, while Southern Railway said reservations for the Chennai and Tambaram Santragachi specials are already live. For travelers booking now, the practical question is not whether summer specials exist, but which coach mix still has seats. (punekarnews.in, newindianexpress.com)