Onam special Bengaluru-Malabar train to stop at 10 key Kerala stations including Kozhikode, Kannur

Bengaluru: In response to the heavy Onam travel rush, Indian Railways has announced an additional special train service from Bengaluru to the Malabar region. The train will operate on the SMVT Bengaluru–Mangaluru route, aiming to accommodate the surge of passengers heading home for Onam celebrations.

This newly announced train will depart from Mangaluru on Sunday nights and from Bengaluru on Mondays, offering more flexibility for travellers during the festive season.

Earlier, reports highlighted the dearth of any special train to Malabar around the peak days of Onam, causing concern among passengers. A previous announcement had declared a special service from Kannur on August 29 and another from Bengaluru to Kannur on August 30. However, with Thiruvonam falling on September 5, these dates were considered too early to benefit most Onam travellers.

The newly added service, however, is expected to offer much-needed relief. Train number 06003 will depart from Mangaluru at 11 pm on Sunday and reach SMVT Bengaluru at 2:30 pm the next day. The return train, number 06004, will leave SMVT Bengaluru at 3:50 pm on Monday and arrive in Mangaluru by 7:30 am on Tuesday.

The train will halt at several key stations across Kerala – Palakkad, Shoranur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Vadakara, Thalassery, Kannur, Payyanur, Kanhangad and Kasaragod. Ticket booking for this service opens at 8 am on Saturday, officials confirmed.

This becomes the fourth Onam special train announced from Bengaluru to Kerala this season. Earlier, two special services to Kochuveli (Thiruvananthapuram North) had already been announced well in advance, allowing travellers heading to South Kerala to plan their Onam journeys early. Those two services were operated by the South Western Railway.

In contrast, the late announcement of trains to Malabar, operated by the Southern Railway, left many passengers struggling to secure convenient travel options closer to the festival.

The newly added SMVT–Mangaluru train is expected to ease some of the pressure and offer a much-needed travel option just ahead of Thiruvonam.