India adds summer trains
Indian Railways is launching summer special weekly services from Chennai to Santragachi and to Mumbai, with trains starting April 20 to handle peak demand through early June. (travelandtourworld.com)
Southern Railway will add summer special trains from Chennai to Santragachi and Mumbai starting April 20, expanding capacity during the annual holiday rush. (newindianexpress.com) The Chennai-Santragachi service will leave MGR Chennai Central at 11:45 p.m. on April 20 and April 27, both Mondays, and reach Santragachi at 7:45 a.m. on the third day. The return train will leave Santragachi at 10:45 a.m. on April 22 and April 29 and arrive at Chennai Beach at 7:30 p.m. the next day. (newindianexpress.com) The Chennai-Mumbai service will run weekly from April 20 to June 8, leaving MGR Chennai Central at 4 a.m. on Mondays and reaching Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 4:15 a.m. the next day. The return service will leave Mumbai at 12:20 p.m. on Sundays from April 19 to June 7 and reach Chennai at 11:30 p.m. the next day. (newindianexpress.com) Indian Railways uses “special” trains as temporary extra services when regular trains fill up during school vacations, festivals, and long weekends. Southern Railway has been issuing a steady stream of April notices for Vishu, Tamil New Year, Easter, and summer routes as travel demand rises across south India. (thehindu.com) (sr.indianrailways.gov.in) The broader summer push is not limited to Chennai. Central Railway said in March that it would operate 1,484 summer special trains, including 749 reserved services and 735 unreserved ones, to handle seasonal passenger traffic. (ptinews.com) Southern Railway has used the same playbook in earlier summers, adding trains on inter-state routes from Chennai and within Tamil Nadu when reservations tighten. In May 2023, The Hindu reported that the zone had operated 50 special trains from Chennai and elsewhere in the state, covering 244 trips. (thehindu.com) Bookings for these temporary services are handled through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation ticketing system, which says online reservation is available daily from 1:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. That gives passengers a narrow window before the first departures next week to check availability on the added trains. (contents.irctc.co.in)
