Kerala train tickets for Onam day sold out: Next booking window dates

Chennai: Malayalis are trying hard to book train or bus tickets way in advance to avoid the last-minute rush during the extremely busy Onam season. However, the train tickets for September 4, the day of Uthradam, were completely sold out within hours after the booking window opened. Meanwhile, tickets are also not available on September 3. Tickets aren’t available even on the waiting list in most trains to southern Kerala during these days. A few tickets to the Malabar region were up for grabs yesterday in the Mangaluru superfast at 4.20 pm.

Meanwhile, those who have already got tickets to Kerala are now busy trying to book their return tickets. Most people are reportedly looking to book the return tickets on the Chathayam day, which is September 7, a Sunday. The booking window for September 7 will open on Wednesday. City dwellers say that successfully booking a ticket for September 7 would be like winning the lottery. People are also trying to get tickets for Saturday, anticipating high demand on September 7. The bookings for September 6 (Saturday) begin on July 8.

Special trains not announced yet
Keralites residing in Chennai say that Malayali Organisations should intervene to announce special trains ahead of Onam. They urge the railway authorities to allot special trains on days that are convenient for the Malayalis. The organisations should convince the authorities of the need to announce special trains as the railway commercial department already has information regarding the busiest days in the year.

Tickets sold out in most trains
The tickets for Thiruvananthapuram Superfast, Thiruvananthapuram Mail, Alleppey Express, and Mangaluru Mail, which are mainly relied upon by Malayalis, are entirely sold out. There are no tickets available for the sleeper and AC compartments on these trains. As the day of Thiruvonam, which falls on September 5, coincides with a Friday, most people are looking to book tickets on trains running to Kerala on September 2 and 3. However, the booking status in most trains to southern Kerala on these days is displayed as ‘regretted’. Although a few tickets were available in the Mangaluru Express, the booking status soon moved to the waiting list. Now, the only chance to get on these trains to Kerala is to probably try their luck at the Tatkal bookings. Making Aadhar verification mandatory for tatkal bookings had promised to end the exploitation and monopoly of travel agents and black-market dealers, but many fraudsters have reportedly discovered ways to trick the system.

Will KSRTC turn saviour?
Keralites residing in Chennai are eager to know whether their demand to launch KSRTC bus services to Malabar from Chennai will finally become a reality this year. Passengers will benefit if more services are announced to Ernakulam around the Onam days. They urge Malayali organisations as well as governmental departments to intervene and arrange additional transportation facilities on September 2 and 3, so that they can reach home to celebrate Onam.