Thiruvananthapuram: Advance bookings for trains to Kerala for the Christmas season have opened, with tickets for December 22 set to go on sale from Thursday.

According to Southern Railway sources, trains from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram are already witnessing heavy demand. The Chennai–Thiruvananthapuram Mail, Chennai–Thiruvananthapuram Superfast Express, and Chennai–Alappuzha Superfast Express are among the most sought-after services.

Tickets for December 21 journeys towards Thiruvananthapuram were snapped up within minutes, with sleeper and AC class seats quickly moving to the waiting list in these trains. Bookings for December 22, 23, and 24 are also expected to sell out rapidly.

Similarly, the Chennai–Mangalore Mail and Chennai–Mangalore Superfast Express are facing a surge in demand, with only a few seats remaining in sleeper and AC coaches. Compared to previous years, tickets for December 19, 20, and 21 were booked within hours of reservations opening.

The high volume of bookings indicates a sharp rise in the number of people travelling to Kerala for the Christmas holidays this year.

However, railway officials have expressed concern over Kerala’s limited capacity to accommodate additional festival services. They said there are currently no available tracks to operate special trains, with existing routes already at maximum utilisation.

Southern Railway officials also said that no special trains can be introduced until new tracks and yards are constructed in Kerala. They further criticised Kerala MPs for “failing to persuade the Centre on the urgency of developing new railway infrastructure” in the state.