Special Trains Announced for Pongal Festival: Additional Services to Chennai, Coimbatore, Podanur and Mangaluru
Southern Railway has announced several special trains for the Pongal festival, including additional services connecting Coimbatore, Podanur, Chennai, Mangaluru and Sengottai, with stops at major stations to handle festive rush. Passengers are advised to book early and make use of these services.
Arunkumar Gowrishankar 
In view of the Pongal festival, Southern Railway has announced several special trains to manage the expected increase in passenger traffic across Tamil Nadu and neighboring states.
Coimbatore – Chennai Special (Train No. 06034 / 06033)
On January 11 and 18 (Sundays), a special express will depart Coimbatore at 11:30 p.m. and reach Chennai at 9:50 a.m. the next day.
In the return direction, on January 12 and 19 (Mondays), the Chennai–Coimbatore special will depart Chennai Central at 11:25 p.m. and reach Coimbatore at 9:00 a.m. the next morning.
The train will halt at Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpet, Katpadi, Arakkonam, Tiruvallur, Perambur and other important stations.
Podanur – Chennai Special (Train No. 06024 / 06023)
On January 13 and 20 (Tuesdays), a special train will depart Podanur at 12:35 a.m. and arrive in Chennai at 10:30 a.m.
On January 14 and 21 (Wednesdays), the return service from Chennai will leave at 1:50 p.m. and reach Podanur at 11:15 p.m.
Mangaluru – Chennai Special (Train No. 06126 / 06125)
From Mangaluru, a special train will leave on January 13 at 3:10 a.m. and reach Chennai Central at 11:30 p.m.
The return service will leave Chennai on January 14 at 4:15 a.m. and reach Mangaluru the same night at 11:30 p.m.
This train will stop at Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Tirur, Shoranur, Palakkad, Podanur, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpet, Katpadi, Arakkonam, Tiruvallur, Perambur and other stations.
Sengottai – Podanur Special (Train No. 06026)
On January 14, a special service will depart Sengottai at 8:45 p.m. and arrive at Podanur the next day at 7:30 p.m.
En-route halts include Tenkasi, Kadayanallur, Sankarankovil, Rajapalayam, Srivilliputhur, Sivakasi, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli, Srirangam, Ariyalur, Virudhachalam, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Tambaram, Egmore, Perambur, Tiruvallur, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpet, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur and other major stations.
Railway authorities have advised passengers to book tickets in advance and make use of these special services during the festive season.
