Extra Rush After Flight Disruptions: Special Trains From Chennai, Major Diversions Till Dec 14

Southern Railway has rolled out a series of special train services from Chennai to help manage the surge in passengers after the widespread disruption of flight operations. The additional services are aimed at easing travel pressure over the weekend and early next week.

Special Trains Announced

To accommodate the sudden spike in demand, Southern Railway has introduced several one-time special trains on key routes:

Secunderabad - Chennai Egmore Specials

• Train No. 07146 will depart Secunderabad at 6:40 pm on Saturday, reaching Chennai Egmore at 8:00 am on Sunday.
• The return service, Train No. 07147, will leave Chennai Egmore at 12:30 pm on Sunday and arrive in Secunderabad at 3:00 am on Monday.

Chennai Egmore - Charlapalli Specials

• Train No. 06019 will leave Chennai Egmore at 11:55 pm on Saturday, reaching Charlapalli at 2:00 pm on Sunday.
• The return service, Train No. 06020, will start from Charlapalli at 6:00 pm on Sunday and arrive at Chennai Egmore at 8:30 am on Monday.

KSR Bengaluru - Chennai Egmore / Chennai Central Specials

• On Sunday, Train No. 06255 will depart KSR Bengaluru at 8:05 am for Chennai Egmore, while the return service, Train No. 06256, will leave Chennai Egmore at 3:45 pm.
• On Monday, Train No. 06257 will depart KSR Bengaluru at 8:05 am to Dr MGR Chennai Central. The return, Train No. 06258, will leave Chennai Central at 4:10 pm.

Southern Railway has stated that advance reservations for all these special trains will open shortly.

Diversions Due to Egmore Station Upgrade

In a separate announcement, Southern Railway informed passengers about the temporary diversion of multiple long-distance trains as upgrade and maintenance works continue at Chennai Egmore Railway Station. With reduced platform availability, several services have been shifted to nearby terminals from December 6 to 14.

Trains Terminating at Tambaram (Instead of Egmore)

The following arrivals will now end at Tambaram during the diversion period:

Uzhavan Express (16866) - Thanjavur → Chennai

Ananthapuri Express (20636) - Kollam → Chennai

Sethu Express (22662) - Rameswaram → Chennai

Rameswaram Express (16752) - Rameswaram → Chennai

Trains Originating from Tambaram

Departures will also shift to Tambaram:

Uzhavan Express (16865) - 11:00 pm → Thanjavur (Dec 7-15)

Ananthapuri Express (20635) - 8:20 pm → Kollam

Sethu Express (22661) - 6:20 pm → Rameswaram

Rameswaram Express (16751) - 7:42 pm → Rameswaram

Train Diverted to Chennai Beach

Mumbai Express (22158) will depart from Chennai Beach Station at 6:45 am during the diversion window.

Why the Diversion Is Needed

Chennai Egmore is currently undergoing significant station enhancement and track improvement works. With several platforms temporarily out of service, the railway has redistributed train operations to maintain smooth traffic flow and minimise inconvenience to passengers.