Tamil Nadu has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of Southern Railway’s passenger service expansion in FY26, securing a larger share of train upgrades, capacity additions and connectivity enhancements than neighbouring Kerala.

The latest data released by Southern Railway highlights the state's dominant position in the zone’s passenger infrastructure push, with Tamil Nadu accounting for the highest number of coach additions and benefiting from several new and upgraded services.

More trains, coaches than Kerala

Tamil Nadu was linked to 23 newly introduced train services during the financial year, strengthening connections between the state and key destinations across India.

Among the major additions were the Erode–Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express, New Jalpaiguri–Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express, New Jalpaiguri–Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express and the Podanur–Dhanbad Amrit Bharat Express.

The state also received the largest share of additional coaches deployed by Southern Railway.

Of the 95 coaches added through permanent train augmentations across the zone, Tamil Nadu accounted for 65, ahead of Kerala’s 47. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh received 34 and 22 coaches respectively.

Southern Railway simultaneously expanded services on several existing routes.

The Thiruvananthapuram–Madurai Amrita Express was extended up to Rameswaram, providing improved access to one of Tamil Nadu’s most important pilgrimage centres.

The Tirupati–Rameswaram Express received an additional weekly run, while passenger services on the Tiruchirappalli–Karaikudi and Karaikudi–Virudhunagar sections were upgraded to daily operations.

Premium rail services also witnessed a major boost. The Chennai–Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express was expanded from 16 to 20 coaches to cater to rising passenger demand.

Southern Railway additionally launched the Bengaluru–Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express, further strengthening high-speed connectivity within the southern region.

Apart from train additions and capacity enhancements, the railway zone introduced new stoppages at more than 150 stations across its network.

Several stations in Tamil Nadu, including Budalur, Pennadam, Kovilpatti, Pichcandar Kovil, Perambur, Ambattur, Tindivanam and Pudukkottai, were among those that gained fresh halts, improving travel options for local commuters.

The combination of new train services, expanded Vande Bharat capacity, route extensions and the highest allocation of additional coaches has placed Tamil Nadu at the forefront of Southern Railway’s FY26 passenger service upgrade programme, leaving it ahead of Kerala in the overall scale of improvements announced during the year.