With summer holidays fast approaching, residents of major cities such as Coimbatore and other urban centres have begun planning visits to their native towns and popular tourist destinations. The seasonal rush has triggered a sharp rise in advance train ticket bookings across Tamil Nadu.
According to officials of Southern Railway, passengers are actively reserving tickets well in advance for travel during the vacation period. As Indian Railways permits advance reservations up to 60 days for express trains, tickets are being snapped up quickly through the IRCTC website as well as railway station booking counters.
High Demand for Southern District Routes
Railway authorities said express trains heading towards the southern districts are witnessing particularly heavy demand. Key routes from Chennai to Tiruchendur, Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Kollam have already reported full reservations for travel on April 24 in most regular express services.
Only a handful of trains, including select premium services such as the Vande Bharat Express, currently have limited seats available for the peak travel dates.
Bookings Filling Within Hours
Officials noted that when bookings open each day, a large share of tickets gets sold out within a short span due to overwhelming demand. Several trains are already operating with long waiting lists, reflecting the scale of passenger movement expected during the holiday season.
In view of the rush, railway authorities have indicated that special trains may be introduced on high-demand routes based on waiting list patterns and passenger requirements. A formal announcement regarding additional summer special services is expected by the end of next month.