Overview
- Indian Railways announced 112 special Onam train trips running primarily between August 14 and September 6 to handle the festival travel surge and ease pressure on regular services.
- The Onam package nearly doubles last year’s supply from 55 to 112 trips and covers links between Kerala destinations such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Kannur, Ernakulam and Mangaluru and major cities in neighbouring states.
- Southern Railway has been allocated 54 of the Onam specials, operating 38 intra-zone services and 16 inter-zone services, while South Western, South Central and South Eastern Railways will run the other 58 trips.
- Western Railway published 42 Ganesh Chaturthi specials to operate between September 11 and September 25, with bookings opening August 9 and selected services—such as Mumbai Central–Thokur—starting on September 15/16.
- Passengers should book through PRS counters or IRCTC, check coach class and stoppages for each special, and expect rail authorities to monitor waitlists and add services if demand remains high.