India adds summer trains

Indian Railways is adding summer special trains across Andhra Pradesh, Chennai and Odisha corridors as April holiday traffic builds. (thehindu.com) In Andhra Pradesh, the extra services are scheduled through the end of April, with routes including long-distance links such as Podanur-Barauni and Bengaluru-Balughat. The Hindu reported the announcement on April 14 from Vijayawada as part of a summer-rush plan. (thehindu.com) On the east coast, East Coast Railway posted fresh summer special notices dated April 9, 2026, including Patna-Khurda Road and Puri-Patna services and other temporary trains listed under its “Details of Special Trains” section. (eastcoastrail.indianrailways.gov.in) One East Coast Railway notice dated April 7 shows a weekly Visakhapatnam-Shalimar summer special running from April 10 to April 24, with stops including Vizianagaram, Palasa, Berhampur, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. (eastcoastrail.indianrailways.gov.in) Southern Railway is also using specials on the Chennai-Kolkata axis. A Southern Railway release for an earlier March round showed Chennai Egmore-Santragachi services stopping at Gudur, Nellore, Ongole, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Vizianagaram, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the same trunk corridor that fills up during school vacations. (sr.indianrailways.gov.in) These trains are temporary additions, not a timetable overhaul. Indian Railways uses them to add seats on corridors where waitlists and platform crowds usually spike during summer travel. (thehindu.com) The geography explains the focus. East Coast Railway’s zone covers most of Odisha and parts of northeastern Andhra Pradesh, including Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, so extra trains there can absorb traffic moving between the south, the east and the Hindi-speaking north. (eastcoastrail.indianrailways.gov.in) Tickets for these services are sold through the standard Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation booking flow, where passengers search trains by route, check class availability and book online if berths are open. (contents.irctc.co.in) For travelers, the immediate change is simple: more bookable seats on some of India’s busiest April routes, but only for a short seasonal window before the extra trains roll off the schedule. (thehindu.com)