Overview
- An official Southern Railway release on January 3 detailed eight special train services, with advance reservations opening at 8 am on January 4.
- Operations are scheduled through the festival window to manage peak homebound and return travel demand.
- Services link major Chennai terminals—Dr MGR Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore and Tambaram—to hubs including Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Rameswaram, Coimbatore, Podanur, Erode, Sengottai and Mangaluru.
- Indian Railways published train numbers, dates, timings and coach compositions, including Mangaluru–Chennai Central (06126/06125) and Tirunelveli–Chengalpattu superfast specials (06156/06155, 06158/06157).
- The state transport department plans a large special-bus deployment under review on January 6, with possible private hires to expand capacity and coordinated crowd management at key terminals.