Southern Railway Announces Special Trains for Chhath Festival; Chennai, Podanur to Bihar Connectivity Boosted
Three Express Special Services to Operate Between Tamil Nadu and Bihar; Additional Trains to Accommodate Festive Rush
In view of the additional passenger rush during the Chhath festival, Southern Railway has announced three special train services connecting Tamil Nadu with important destinations in Bihar. The services, introduced under the Train on Demand initiative, are aimed at facilitating the return journeys of passengers travelling from southern India to Bihar and neighbouring regions during the festive season.
According to a press release issued by Southern Railway on November 10, 2026, the special services include a Chennai Central–Darbhanga–Chennai Central Express Special, a Chennai Central–Barauni One-Way Express Special and a Podanur–Raxaul One-Way Express Special.
The trains will operate on November 11, with the return service of the Chennai–Darbhanga special scheduled for November 14. These services will provide additional connectivity through Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.
The details of the three special train services, including departure and arrival timings, stoppages and coach compositions, are given below.
1. Chennai Central–Darbhanga Express Special (06131/06132)
Southern Railway will operate one service each in both directions between Dr MGR Chennai Central and Darbhanga.
Train No. 06131 Dr MGR Chennai Central–Darbhanga Express Special will depart from Chennai Central at 11:00 hrs on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and reach Darbhanga at 13:00 hrs on Friday, November 13.
In the return direction, Train No. 06132 Darbhanga–Dr MGR Chennai Central Express Special will depart from Darbhanga at 15:00 hrs on Saturday, November 14, and arrive at Chennai Central at 15:45 hrs on Monday, November 16.
TRAIN SCHEDULE
| Particulars | Train 06131 | Train 06132 |
|---|---|---|
| Route | Chennai Central–Darbhanga | Darbhanga–Chennai Central |
| Departure | Nov 11, 11:00 hrs | Nov 14, 15:00 hrs |
| Arrival | Nov 13, 13:00 hrs | Nov 16, 15:45 hrs |
| Services | One | One |
Stoppages and Timings
The special train will cover several important stations across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.
| Station | Train 06131: Chennai–Darbhanga | Train 06132: Darbhanga–Chennai |
|---|---|---|
| Dr MGR Chennai Central | 11:00 (Nov 11) | 15:45 (Nov 16) |
| Ongole | 15:30–15:32 | 08:40–08:42 |
| Vijayawada | 18:30–18:40 | 06:40–06:50 |
| Rajahmundry | 22:00–22:02 | 04:08–04:10 |
| Duvvada | 01:43–01:45 | 01:30–01:32 |
| Vizianagaram | 03:30–03:40 | 23:45–23:55 |
| Palasa | 06:10–06:12 | 21:30–21:32 |
| Brahmapur | 07:16–07:18 | 19:40–19:42 |
| Khurda Road | 09:35–09:45 | 16:30–16:40 |
| Bhubaneswar | 09:50–09:55 | 16:00–16:05 |
| Cuttack | 11:00–11:05 | 15:25–15:30 |
| Jajpur Keonjhar Road | 11:52–11:54 | 14:30–14:32 |
| Bhadrak | 13:00–13:02 | 14:00–14:02 |
| Balasore | 15:00–15:02 | 10:28–10:30 |
| Kharagpur | 17:00–17:10 | 09:00–09:10 |
| Andul | 19:10–19:12 | 07:30–07:35 |
| Dankuni | 20:25–20:30 | 04:00–04:05 |
| Barddhaman | 21:18–21:20 | 02:30–02:32 |
| Durgapur | 22:06–22:08 | 00:30–00:32 |
| Asansol | 22:35–22:45 | 23:30–23:40 |
| Chittaranjan | 23:15–23:17 | 23:00–23:02 |
| Madhupur | 00:40–00:43 | 22:23–22:25 |
| Jasidih | 02:00–02:02 | 22:00–22:02 |
| Jhajha | 05:15–05:20 | 21:20–21:25 |
| Kiul | 06:00–06:02 | 19:10–19:12 |
| Barauni | 08:00–08:10 | 17:40–17:50 |
| Samastipur | 10:00–10:05 | 16:20–16:25 |
| Darbhanga | 13:00 (Nov 13) | 15:00 (Nov 14) |
All timings are in hours. The dates of intermediate station arrivals follow the respective journey schedules.
Coach Composition
The Chennai–Darbhanga Express Special will have a combination of AC, Sleeper and General Second Class accommodation.
-
2 AC Three Tier coaches
-
1 AC Three Tier Economy coach
-
5 Sleeper Class coaches
-
7 General Second Class coaches
-
1 Chair Car coach
-
1 Divyangjan-friendly Second Class coach
-
1 Luggage-cum-Brake Van
2. Chennai Central–Barauni One-Way Express Special (06133)
To provide additional connectivity to passengers travelling towards the Barauni region, Southern Railway will operate Train No. 06133 Dr MGR Chennai Central–Barauni One-Way Express Special.
The train will depart from Chennai Central at 23:50 hrs on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and reach Barauni at 20:00 hrs on Friday, November 13.
The service will cover major stations in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Stoppages and Timings
| Station | Arrival/Departure |
|---|---|
| Dr MGR Chennai Central | 23:50 (Nov 11) |
| Gudur | 02:10–02:12 |
| Ongole | 04:38–04:40 |
| Vijayawada | 07:10–07:20 |
| Rajahmundry | 10:30–10:35 |
| Duvvada | 13:50–13:52 |
| Vizianagaram | 17:00–17:10 |
| Palasa | 20:00–20:05 |
| Brahmapur | 21:03–21:05 |
| Khurda Road | 22:55–23:05 |
| Bhubaneswar | 23:50–23:55 |
| Cuttack | 00:40–00:42 |
| Jajpur Keonjhar Road | 02:02–02:04 |
| Bhadrak | 03:25–03:30 |
| Balasore | 04:20–04:22 |
| Kharagpur | 06:00–06:10 |
| Andul | 07:10–07:12 |
| Dankuni | 08:28–08:30 |
| Barddhaman | 09:20–09:23 |
| Durgapur | 10:41–10:43 |
| Asansol | 11:15–11:20 |
| Chittaranjan | 11:44–11:46 |
| Madhupur | 12:23–12:25 |
| Jasidih | 12:48–12:50 |
| Jhajha | 14:25–14:35 |
| Kiul | 15:35–15:40 |
| Barauni | 20:00 (Nov 13) |
Coach Composition
The train will comprise:
-
2 AC Two Tier coaches
-
2 AC Three Tier coaches
-
11 Sleeper Class coaches
-
4 General Second Class coaches
-
2 Divyangjan-friendly Second Class coaches
3. Podanur–Raxaul One-Way Express Special (06135)
Southern Railway has also announced a special one-way service from Podanur in Tamil Nadu to Raxaul in Bihar.
Train No. 06135 Podanur–Raxaul One-Way Express Special will depart from Podanur at 20:20 hrs on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and reach Raxaul at 12:00 hrs on Saturday, November 14.
The train will provide connectivity from the Coimbatore region towards Bihar through several important railway junctions in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Stoppages and Timings
| Station | Arrival/Departure |
|---|---|
| Podanur | 20:20 (Nov 11) |
| Coimbatore | 20:30–20:35 |
| Tiruppur | 21:00–21:05 |
| Erode | 21:55–22:00 |
| Salem | 23:00–23:05 |
| Jolarpettai | 01:18–01:20 |
| Katpadi | 02:30–02:40 |
| Perambur | 04:10–04:15 |
| Vijayawada | 12:30–12:40 |
| Rajahmundry | 15:18–15:20 |
| Duvvada | 18:30–18:32 |
| Vizianagaram | 20:30–20:40 |
| Bobbili | 21:23–21:25 |
| Parvatipuram | 21:48–21:50 |
| Rayagada | 23:25–23:30 |
| Muniguda | 00:30–00:32 |
| Titlagarh | 01:50–02:00 |
| Balangir | 02:50–02:52 |
| Sambalpur | 04:40–04:50 |
| Jharsuguda | 06:30–06:40 |
| Rourkela | 08:00–08:05 |
| Hatia | 12:20–12:25 |
| Ranchi | 12:40–12:45 |
| Muri | 13:58–14:00 |
| Bokaro Steel City | 15:00–15:05 |
| Chandrapura | 16:18–16:20 |
| Dhanbad | 18:30–18:40 |
| Chittaranjan | 19:45–19:50 |
| Madhupur | 20:28–20:30 |
| Jasidih | 21:13–21:15 |
| Jhajha | 22:30–22:35 |
| Kiul | 23:13–23:15 |
| Barauni | 02:40–02:50 |
| Samastipur | 03:50–03:55 |
| Darbhanga | 05:20–05:30 |
| Sitamarhi | 08:05–08:07 |
| Raxaul | 12:00 (Nov 14) |
Coach Composition
Unlike the other two services, the Podanur–Raxaul special will primarily offer Chair Car accommodation.
Its composition will include:
-
17 Chair Car coaches
-
2 General Second Class coaches
-
2 Luggage-cum-Brake Vans
Advance Reservation Details
Southern Railway has also announced the reservation schedule for these special services.
| Train Number | Reservation status |
|---|---|
| 06131 | Advance reservation opens at 20:00 hrs on November 10, 2026, from the Southern Railway end |
| 06133 | Reservation opening to be announced shortly |
| 06135 | Reservation opening to be announced shortly |
The railway administration has advised passengers to check the latest reservation and train-running information before planning their journeys.
With these three special services, Southern Railway aims to accommodate the additional passenger demand during the Chhath festival and facilitate travel between major destinations in southern India and Bihar.
The announcement is particularly relevant for passengers travelling from Chennai, Coimbatore and surrounding regions to Darbhanga, Barauni and Raxaul, providing additional options during the busy festive travel period.
