Southern Railway has announced special trains from Chennai and Podanur to Bihar for Chhath travellers. The services aim to ease the festival rush across key interstate routes.The special trains will travel through Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand..
Southern Railway has announced special express trains from Chennai and Podanur in Coimbatore to major destinations in Bihar to manage the heavy passenger rush during the upcoming Chhath festival, news agency Press Trust of India reported.The services are intended for passengers travelling home for the festival and will connect Tamil Nadu with Darbhanga, Barauni and Raxaul.According to a Southern Railway release cited by PTI, the Chennai Central-Darbhanga Express Special will leave Dr MGR Chennai Central at 11 am on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and reach Darbhanga at 1 pm on the third day.The return train will leave Darbhanga at 3 pm on Saturday, November 14, and arrive at Dr MGR Chennai Central at 3.45 pm on Monday. The Chennai Central-Barauni One-Way Express Special will leave Dr MGR Chennai Central at 11.50 pm on Wednesday, November 11, and reach Barauni at 8 pm on Friday.For passengers from western Tamil Nadu, the Podanur-Raxaul One-Way Express Special will leave Podanur at 8.20 pm on Wednesday, November 11.
It will pass through Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem and Katpadi before reaching Raxaul at noon on Saturday. The special trains will travel through Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Major stops include Vijayawada, Duvvada, Vizianagaram, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kharagpur, Asansol, Jasidih, Jhajha, Kiul, Barauni and Samastipur.The trains will have AC three-tier, AC two-tier, economy AC, sleeper, general second-class and chair car coaches. They will also include second-class coaches designed for passengers with disabilities and luggage-cum-brake vans.Southern Railway said the special services linking Chennai and Podanur with destinations in Bihar would help accommodate passengers travelling during the Chhath festival rush.- Ends