Southern Railway Expands Services Dramatically

Southern Railway reported a substantial expansion of services during the last financial year, benefiting Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. A total of 23 new train services were introduced in Tamil Nadu, with 14 in Kerala and five in Karnataka, several of which serve multiple states.

The railway introduced new Amrit Bharat Express trains, including the Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil and New Jalpaiguri-Tiruchirappalli routes launched on January 17, 2026, and the Podanur-Dhanbad service on March 11, 2026.

For local travel, new MEMU services were launched: Salem-Erode on November 24, 2025; Palakkad-Pollachi on March 11, 2026; and Kollam-Ernakulam from March 16, 2026.

Several existing train routes were extended. The Thiruvananthapuram-Madurai Amrita Express now extends to Rameswaram since October 2025. The Mangaluru Central-Kozhikode Express now reaches Palakkad from March 2026, and the KSR Bengaluru-Kannur Express was extended to Kozhikode.

Frequency enhancements were also noted, with the Tirupati-Rameswaram Express increasing to four days a week from March 2026. Passenger trains between Tiruchirapalli and Karaikudi, and Karaikudi and Virudhunagar, now operate daily.

Additionally, new stoppages were added at over 150 stations across Tamil Nadu and Kerala, improving accessibility along various corridors.