Southern Railway has announced the operation of special express trains between Rameswaram and Tirupati to handle the surge in passenger traffic during the ongoing festive and pilgrimage season. These services will be run for a limited period in both directions to provide additional convenience to devotees and holiday travellers.The special train from Rameswaram to Tirupati (Train No. 06080) will run from December 2 to December 9. It will depart Rameswaram at 4:30 pm and reach Tirupati at 10:10 am the following day. In the return direction, the Tirupati to Rameswaram special (Train No. 06079) will operate from December 3 to December 10, leaving Tirupati at 11:55 am and arriving at Rameswaram at 4:45 am the next day.
Both trains will run with 18 coaches to accommodate a larger number of passengers. They will halt at several important stations en route, including Mandapam, Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Madurai, Kodaikanal Road, Dindigul, Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Papanasam, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Sirkazhi, Chidambaram, Cuddalore Port, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Arani Road, Vellore Cantonment, Katpadi and Pakala. The trains will cover the same route in both directions.
Southern Railway has urged passengers to make advance reservations and follow all travel guidelines, as heavy demand is expected due to the festive rush and the high number of devotees travelling to Tirupati and Rameswaram during this period.