Southern railway announce 38 trains to Kerala to ease traffic during Christmas and New Year

Thiruvananthapuram: In a move to ease holiday travel to Kerala the South Indian Railway has decided to earmark 38 Christmas–New Year special services for the state, linking Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Ernakulam region with major hubs including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hubbali, Mumbai and Vadodara during the peak festive and Sabarimala season rush.

The services, cleared by different railway zones, include a Thiruvananthapuram–H. Nizamuddin one-way special, extended SMVT Bengaluru–Thiruvananthapuram North runs, Hubballi–Thiruvananthapuram and Hubballi–Kollam links, besides the Vadodara–Kottayam Christmas specials which serve central Kerala via Ernakulam and Thrissur, collectively adding much-needed capacity on heavily wait-listed south-bound routes.

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The headline long-distance link is Train 06159 Thiruvananthapuram Central–H. Nizamuddin one-way special on 13 December, leaving at 7.45 am and reaching the national capital at 7 pm next day, stopping at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangaluru and major Konkan and western junctions.

From Karnataka, Southern Railway and South Western Railway are fielding multiple SMVT Bengaluru–Thiruvananthapuram North specials, with different pairs such as 06523/24, 06547/48 and 06555/56 now extended through late January and early February, covering key stops including KR Puram, Salem, Erode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Aluva, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Kollam and Varkala.

More trains allocated to support Sabarimala pilgrims

To support both Sabarimala pilgrims and Christmas vacationers, a dedicated Hubballi–Thiruvananthapuram North special (07361/07362) has been notified, running via SMVT Bengaluru, Palakkad and Ernakulam Town, while a separate weekend Hubballi–Kollam special (07313/07314) that began as a Deepavali–Sabarimala service will now continue until 26 January, offering continuity through the New Year period.

On the western flank, Konkan Railway and Western Railway have lined up Vadodara–Kottayam Christmas specials (09124/09123) on four weekends between 20 December and 11 January, with halts at Ernakulam, Aluva, Thrissur, Shoranur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod, Mangaluru, Madgaon, Ratnagiri, Panvel and Vasai Road, effectively strengthening the Ernakulam–Vadodara travel corridor.