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| 304/2026-27 | 10-08-2026 Chennai |
| Onam Special Trains 2026: 112 Services of Onam Special Trains notified so far Southern Railway notifies 54 services of Onam Special Trains Other Zonal Railways announce 58 services | |
In order to meet the massive surge in passenger traffic during the auspicious festival of onam, Indian Railways and Southern Railway have launched an extensive fleet of special train operations. onam is an important cultural and harvest festival of Kerala, drawing thousands of non-resident Keralites, professionals, students, and tourists traveling back home from neighboring states and major metro hubs across India.
To ease the seasonal rush, clear waitlisted passenger queues, and ensure smooth, convenient travel, Southern Railway, in close coordination with the neighbouring key Zonal Railways such as South Central Railway (SCR), South Western Railway (SWR) and South Eastern Railway (SER), has notified a large array of exclusive onam specials and extended the periodicity of key existing special train services.
The notified onam special services are scheduled to operate primarily across the peak festive period spanning August 14, 2026, to September 06, 2026.
Category-wise summary of notified Special Trains
A total of 112 onam special train trips have been officially notified to run during the festival period spanning August 14, 2026 to September 06, 2026.
|
Service Category |
Total Notified Trips |
|
SR Intra-Railway Specials (Operated completely within SR network) |
38 |
|
SR Inter-Railway Specials (Operated by SR connecting to other Zonal Railways) |
16 |
|
Other Railways Specials (Operated by zones such as SWR, SCR, SER into/through SR) |
58 |
|
Total Notified Trips of onam Special Trains 2026 |
112 |
Year-on-Year Operational Comparison
The operational effort for onam 2026 reflects a significant expansion in service capacity compared to the onam festival period in 2025:
|
Service Category |
Onam 2025 Trips |
Onam 2026 Trips |
|
SR Intra-Railway |
32 |
38 |
|
SR Inter-Railway |
4 |
16 |
|
Other Railways (OR) |
19 |
58 |
|
Total notified trips |
55 |
112 |
Overall notified onam special trip operations have nearly doubled (103%), growing from 55 trips in 2025 to 112 notified trips in 2026, driven largely by Southern Railway’s strategic planning and significant inter-railway collaboration with other Zonal Railways.
Popular Routes and En-Route / Destinations Served
The onam special trains strategically connect major suburban and metropolitan origins with important terminals in Kerala via primary arterial routes:
1. Chennai & Tamil Nadu Hubs to Kerala (SR)
Connecting prominent Tamil Nadu cities - including Dr MGR Chennai Central, Tambaram, Chennai Egmore, and Mangaluru Central and these services run to primary Kerala destinations such as Kollam Junction and Thiruvananthapuram Central. The trains traverse major en-route junctions and commercial towns, serving passengers through Arakkonam, Jolarpettai, Erode, Podanur, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Punalur, Sengottai, Rajapalayam, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Vriddhachalam, and Villupuram.
2. Bengaluru, Mysuru & Karnataka Corridor (SWR Coordination)
South Western Railway has notified dedicated onam special services catering to high-density passenger movement into Kerala from major Karnataka hubs including Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru, Bangalore Cantonment, Mysuru Junction, and Hubballi. Operating directly to primary terminals such as Thiruvananthapuram North, Kannur, Kottayam, and Kollam, these trains run along crucial intermediate stops including Krishnarajapuram, Bangarapet, Kuppam, Salem, Erode, Palakkad, Shoranur, and Kozhikode.
3. Telangana & Andhra Pradesh Corridor (SCR Coordination)
To serve Keralites residing in the Telugu states, South Central Railway has notified special operations connecting origins like Hyderabad and Cherlappalli directly to key destinations including Kollam and Mangaluru Central. This service corridor covers important en-route transit hubs across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, stopping at Miryalaguda, Guntur, Tenali, Gudur, Renigunta, Chittoor, Katpadi, and Jolarpettai.
4. Eastern Corridor (SER Coordination)
South Eastern Railway has notified onam specials linking West Bengal and Eastern India to key destinations across Kerala along the Santragachi–
Reaffirming its commitment to passenger convenience during the festive rush, Indian Railways has officially notified 112 special train trips for onam to date. Indian Railways and Southern Railway continue to closely monitor waitlist trends and travel demand across all major routes and provide additional trains if necessary.
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(S.N.Narain)
Chief Public Relations Officer