Navaratri Rush: Indian Railways adds extra sleeper coaches, announces special trains

In a bid to accommodate the rising passenger demand and the upcoming Navaratri festive rush, Southern Railway has announced the temporary addition of extra sleeper coaches to several key train services. Alongside this, special weekly trains will operate between Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram to manage the surge during the Navaratri festival season. The upcoming Navaratri season is from October 11 to October 20, 2026.

More sleeper coaches on key routes
The Chennai Egmore–Mangaluru Express (16159/16160) has been augmented with an additional sleeper coach in both directions, bringing the total number of sleeper coaches to 12. The extra coach is operational immediately on the service departing Chennai and will be added to the service from Mangaluru Central starting October 1.

Similarly, the Thiruvananthapuram Central–Mangaluru Maveli Express (16603/16604) has also received an extra sleeper coach, taking its total count to 10. This additional facility will be available from September 30 on the service departing Mangaluru, and from the subsequent day on the return journey.

The Thiruvananthapuram Central–Mangaluru Central Malabar Express (16629/16630) has also been bolstered with one extra sleeper coach in both directions, bringing its total to 10 coaches.

Festival specials for Navratri
To facilitate smooth travel during the Navaratri season, a special weekly service will run between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram North. The Lokmanya Tilak–Thiruvananthapuram North Special (01463) will run every Thursday from October 15 to November 19, departing Mumbai at 4 pm and reaching Thiruvananthapuram North at 11.30 pm on Friday.

For the convenience of passengers in the Palakkad division, the train will stop at Kasaragod (10.30 pm), Kannur (11.47 pm), Kozhikode (1.12 am), Tirur (2.25 am), and Shoranur (3.00 am).

In the return direction, the Thiruvananthapuram North–Lokmanya Tilak Special (01464) will run every Saturday from October 17 to November 21. It will depart Thiruvananthapuram at 2.15 pm and arrive at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 11.55 pm on Sunday.

The schedule for stops within the Palakkad division for the return service includes Shoranur (Saturday 9.05 pm), Tirur (9.54 pm), Kozhikode (10.37 pm), Kannur (Sunday 12.47 am), and Kasaragod (2.08 am).