Special trains announced for Tamil New Year, Vishu

CHENNAI: The Southern Railway has announced a set of one-time special trains across Tamil Nadu for Tamil New Year and Vishu, covering routes that link Chennai with Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kerala-bound destinations.

The Tirunelveli-Egmore special will leave Tirunelveli at 11.40 pm on April 9 and reach Chennai at 10.45 am the next day, running via Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchy, Villupuram and Chengalpattu. The return service will depart Chennai at 12.30 pm on April 10 and reach Tirunelveli the same night.

A Chennai Central-Kollam special will operate on April 15, leaving at 3.10 pm and reaching Kollam at 6.55 am the next day. Key halts include Arakkonam, Katpadi, Salem, Erode, Tirupur and Palakkad. The return train will leave Kollam on April 16 and arrive Chennai the following day.

The Egmore–Thiruvananthapuram North service will depart at 11.55 pm on April 10 and reach its destination at 6 pm the next day, passing through Katpadi, Salem, Erode, Tirupur and Ernakulam. The return will run on April 15, arriving in Chennai the next morning.

Another special between Chennai Central and Thoothukudi will leave at 11.50 pm on April 13 and reach Thoothukudi at 12.15 pm the next day, covering Salem, Karur, Dindigul and Madurai. The return service on April 14 will reach Chennai by 3.30 am the following day.

Reservations for the Tirunelveli special have opened. Bookings for the remaining services will open at 8 am on April 8.