Chennai: Travel woes have intensified as no special summer vacation trains have been sanctioned to Kerala this year. For the first time, not a single special train via Palakkad—connecting to any part of Kerala—has been approved for the summer season. This has left regular services severely overcrowded, with tickets not even available on the waiting list for several South Kerala-bound trains on many days.

Trains such as the Mangalore Mail, Mangalore–Chennai Superfast and Mangalore–Chennai Express are witnessing an overwhelming rush. The situation is equally dire for trains from the southern regions of Kerala to Chennai. Daily services like the Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai Mail, Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai Express, and Alappuzha–Chennai Express are fully booked until June 15, leaving passengers with few travel options.

Trains like the Ananthapuri Express (Egmore to Kollam) and the Kollam Express via Tenkasi are also running at full capacity.

No sign of relief

Every year, Indian Railways operates special trains from Chennai via Palakkad to destinations such as Mangaluru, Ernakulam, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram during the summer holiday rush. This year, however, no such services have been sanctioned.

When questioned about the delay, railway officials simply stated that the request is "under consideration." According to sources, special trains can only be approved after the Chennai Railway Division Operations Manager submits a formal report on the travel demand to the Southern Railway Commercial Manager.

Previously, the Railways cited issues like shortage of coaches or lack of track availability as reasons for not running additional trains. However, those explanations no longer hold. The country’s coach factories are now producing around 7,000 coaches annually, and railway tracks have been upgraded to support high speeds.

Trains heading from Chennai to Mangaluru are now capable of running at speeds of up to 130 kmph from Chennai to Jolarpettai, and 110 kmph from Jolarpettai to Mangaluru. As a result, neither track limitations nor coach availability are being offered as justifications for the delay this time.

Malayalee organisations have submitted memorandums to the Southern Railway General Manager, urging immediate action and the approval of special trains to Kerala to ease the travel chaos.