CHENNAI: The Southern Railway will speed up the running time of around 65 Mail, Express and Superfast trains in 2026, with revised schedules taking effect from January 1, following infrastructure upgrades across parts of its network.

From Dr MGR Chennai Central, the Chennai-Nagercoil Superfast Express will arrive 20 minutes earlier. Chennai-Tirupati Saptagiri express services will save between 5 and 15 minutes, while the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Chennai Central Rajdhani Express and Duronto Express will be 10 minutes faster. The Coimbatore-Chennai Central Intercity Superfast Express will also save 5 minutes.

From Chennai Egmore, the Tuticorin-Chennai Egmore Pearl City Express will be 30 minutes quicker, and the Chennai Egmore-Mangaluru Central Express by 25 minutes. The Egmore-Guruvayur Express will save 20 minutes, while Pothigai Express services between Chennai Egmore and Sengottai will see time reductions ranging from 10 to 20 minutes.

From Tambaram, the Kollam-Tambaram Express will record the highest reduction, with travel time cut by 85 minutes. The Nagercoil-Tambaram Antyodaya Express will arrive 45 minutes earlier, while the Tambaram-Madurai Mahal Superfast Express will save 10 minutes.

The Southern Railway said the speed increases follow track strengthening, signalling improvements and safety upgrades.