Kerala Christmas and New Year Special Trains Announced: Routes and Timings for Key Destinations

Holiday travel to Kerala is set to ease this year, with Indian Railways earmarking five of the 38 Christmas–New Year special services for the state, linking Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Ernakulam region with major hubs including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hubballi, Mumbai and Vadodara during the peak festive and Sabarimala season rush.

The services, cleared by different railway zones, include a Thiruvananthapuram–H. Nizamuddin one-way special, extended SMVT Bengaluru–Thiruvananthapuram North runs, Hubballi–Thiruvananthapuram and Hubballi–Kollam links, besides the Vadodara–Kottayam Christmas specials which serve central Kerala via Ernakulam and Thrissur, collectively adding much-needed capacity on heavily waitlisted south-bound routes.

Kerala Christmas–New Year special trains: key routes and timings

The headline long-distance link is Train 06159 Thiruvananthapuram Central–H. Nizamuddin one-way special on 13 December, leaving at 7.45 am and reaching the national capital at 7 pm next day, stopping at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangaluru and major Konkan and western junctions.

From Karnataka, Southern Railway and South Western Railway are fielding multiple SMVT Bengaluru–Thiruvananthapuram North specials, with different pairs such as 06523/24, 06547/48 and 06555/56 now extended through late January and early February, covering key stops including KR Puram, Salem, Erode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Aluva, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Kollam and Varkala.

Hubballi, Kollam and Vadodara links bolster Sabarimala and holiday traffic

To support both Sabarimala pilgrims and Christmas vacationers, a dedicated Hubballi–Thiruvananthapuram North special (07361/07362) has been notified, running via SMVT Bengaluru, Palakkad and Ernakulam Town, while a separate weekend Hubballi–Kollam special (07313/07314) that began as a Deepavali–Sabarimala service will now continue until 26 January, offering continuity through the New Year period.

On the western flank, Konkan Railway and Western Railway have lined up Vadodara–Kottayam Christmas specials (09124/09123) on four weekends between 20 December and 11 January, with halts at Ernakulam, Aluva, Thrissur, Shoranur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod, Mangaluru, Madgaon, Ratnagiri, Panvel and Vasai Road, effectively strengthening the Ernakulam–Vadodara travel corridor.

Heavy demand expected; Railways, minister urge early bookings

Central Railway, which is running 76 winter special trains from Mumbai and Pune including an LTT–Thiruvananthapuram North weekly, has explicitly advised passengers to book early, signalling high load factors across long-distance south-bound services as Christmas and school holidays approach. Similar crowd patterns are anticipated on Konkan and Bengaluru–Kerala corridors.

Union Minister of State George Kurian has welcomed the allotment of five Christmas–New Year specials to Kerala, terming them crucial support for expatriates and domestic workers returning home, even as state officials monitor whether extended Bengaluru and Hubballi specials can ease chronic waiting lists on regular Superfast and express services.

Railway sources point out that these seasonal trains are layered over existing Onam-extended and Sabarimala-linked specials, creating a dense festival timetable through early January, yet ticketing data already show fast-moving berths, underlining the need for travellers to check availability on IRCTC or counters and firm up plans without delay.

For Kerala, the cluster of five Christmas–New Year specials, combined with winter holiday services from Mumbai and Vadodara and extended Bengaluru and Hubballi links, promises better last-mile connectivity to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam region and Kottayam, though actual relief will depend on how quickly remaining unreserved and RAC berths get snapped up in the coming days.