The expansion included the rollout of 23 new train services originating from or terminating in Tamil Nadu alone, alongside 14 in Kerala and five in Karnataka, with several shared services benefiting more than one state.
Chief spokesperson of Southern Railway (SR) S N Narain, in a statement, said new trains were introduced, existing trains extended to new destinations, frequencies enhanced, and hundreds of additional stops added along established routes during the same period.
“Among the most significant introductions were new Amrit Bharat Express trains linking the southern tip of the country with eastern and northern India, the new Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil and New Jalpaiguri-Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Expresses launched on 17 January 2026″, he said, adding, “the Podanur-Dhanbad Amrit Bharat Express flagged off on 11 March 2026, weaving together communities across the entire eastern seaboard”.
For local commuters, he said the introduction of MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) services brought welcome relief.
“The Salem-Erode MEMU launched on 24 November 2025, the Palakkad-Pollachi MEMU on 11 March 2026, and the Kollam-Ernakulam MEMU from 16 March 2026 represent Southern Railway’s commitment to affordable, frequent, short-haul connectivity, the unsung backbone of daily working life”, he claimed.
Noting that several trains were extended to bring connectivity to underserved endpoints, he said the Thiruvananthapuram-Madurai Amrita Express was extended to Rameswaram from October 2025, making the sacred island-town more accessible.”The Mangaluru Central-Kozhikode Express was extended to Palakkad from March 2026, deepening rail connectivity within Kerala. The KSR Bengaluru-Kannur Express was extended to Kozhikode, creating a direct Bengaluru-Malabar link without requiring a change of train.”
On frequency enhancements, he said the Tirupati-Rameswaram Express was upgraded from tri-weekly to four days a week from March 2026. “Passenger trains between Tiruchirapalli and Karaikudi, and between Karaikudi and Virudhunagar, transitioned to daily services, a small but meaningful change for thousands of regular travellers.”
In 2025-26, the official said SR added new stoppages at over 150 stations spread across Tamil Nadu and Kerala, covering trains from the Chennai-Hyderabad corridor to the Kerala coastal routes, the Nilgiris foothills to the southern tip at Cape Comorin. Stations like Vadakara in Kerala gained stops on multiple trains.