INDIAN RAILWAYS TO RUN SPECIAL TRAINS BETWEEN SECUNDERABAD AND SRIKAKULAM ROAD TO CLEAR SANKRANTI RUSH To ensure a comfortable journey for passengers and to manage the heavy rush during the Sankranti festival season, Indian Railways has announced the operation of several special trains between Secunderabad, Srikakulam Road and Vikarabad. A total of eight special services will be operated between Secunderabad and Srikakulam Road under Train Nos. 07288/07289, 07290/07291 and 07292/07293 on various dates in January 2026. In addition, one special service will run between Vikarabad and Srikakulam Road under Train Nos. 07294/07295. The special trains from Secunderabad will depart at 19:00 hrs on the notified dates and reach Srikakulam Road at 12:30 hrs the next day, after a brief halt at Duvvada. The return services from Srikakulam Road will depart at 15:30 hrs and reach Secunderabad at 08:10 hrs the following day. These trains will halt at important stations including Charlapalli, Kazipet, Warangal, Khammam, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Annavaram, Tuni, Anakapalli, Duvvada, Vizianagaram and Chipurupalli, among others. The Vikarabad special will also stop at Secunderabad en route. The rakes will comprise a mix of AC, Sleeper and General Second Class coaches, along with luggage-cum-brake vans, ensuring adequate accommodation across all travel classes to meet passenger demand during the festive period. Passengers are advised to make use of these special services to plan their Sankranti travel conveniently.

SPECIAL TRAINS BETWEEN VISAKHAPATNAM AND HYDERABAD DURING SANKRANTI FESTIVAL SEASON Dr. Kasapu V. V. V. Satyanarayana, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and Member, Department of Policy Research, Bharatiya Janata Party, Andhra Pradesh, has submitted a representation to the Railway authorities seeking the operation of additional special trains between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad in view of the heavy passenger rush during the Bhogi, Makara Sankranti, and Kanuma festivals. Highlighting the cultural and religious importance of these festivals for the Telugu community, he pointed out that a large number of passengers, including students, employees, farmers, and migrant workers, travel between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad to celebrate with their families. He noted that most trains on this route are currently running with “Regret” status and that waiting lists have exceeded maximum limits, indicating exceptionally high demand. He urged the Railways to introduce more special services in both directions and, if required, divert or temporarily allocate rakes from other divisions or zones to meet the surge in travel demand. The request also suggested operating festival special trains for several days before and after the festivals, augmenting existing trains with additional coaches, issuing advance travel notifications through various platforms, and enhancing ticketing and enquiry facilities at Visakhapatnam Railway Station. The representation called for urgent action to ensure passenger convenience, effective crowd management, and smooth travel during the festive season.

SPECIAL TRAINS BETWEEN VISAKHAPATNAM AND SMV BENGALURU TO CLEAR PASSENGER RUSH In a bid to clear the extra rush of passengers, East Coast Railway will run Special Train Nos. 08501/08502 between Visakhapatnam and SMVT Bengaluru. These special trains are scheduled to operate on specific dates to provide added convenience for travelers. Below are the details of the special train services: Special Train Details: Train No. 08501 - Visakhapatnam to SMVT Bengaluru Special: Departure: Visakhapatnam on 15.12.2025 (Monday) at 15:20 hrs. Arrival: SMVT Bengaluru on 16.12.2025 (Tuesday) at 12:45 hrs. Train No. 08502 - SMVT Bengaluru to Visakhapatnam Special: Departure: SMVT Bengaluru on 16.12.2025 (Tuesday) at 15:50 hrs. Arrival: Visakhapatnam on 17.12.2025 (Wednesday) at 13:30 hrs. Train Composition: The special trains will run with a total of 20 coaches, which include: 1 Coach of 2nd AC (Air-conditioned) 2 Coaches of 3rd AC (Air-conditioned) 12 Coaches of Sleeper Class 3 Coaches of General Class 2 Second-Class Luggage Cum Brake Vans Stoppages: The special trains will make stops at the following stations en route: Duvvada Anakapalli Samalkot Rajahmundry Vijayawada Ongole Nellore Gudur Renigunta Katpadi Jolarpettai Bangarpet Krishnarajapuram Arrival and departure timings at these stations will be notified accordingly. Passenger Advisory: Passengers are requested to take advantage of this special train service to ease their travel experience during the peak rush period. For further details, passengers can contact their nearest railway station, visit the official Indian Railways website, or check the NTES (National Train Enquiry System).

DIVERSION AND REGULATION OF TRAINS DUE TO SAFETY WORKS IN EAST COAST RAILWAY AND KHURDA ROAD DIVISION In light of ongoing Pre/Non-interlocking works and the commissioning of the 3rd line in the Rajatgarh–Joranda Road section of East Coast Railway, several trains will be diverted via Vizianagaram–Rayagada–Titlagarh, bypassing the usual route via Khurda Road. The affected trains are as follows: Diversion of Trains (via Vizianagaram–Rayagada–Titlagarh): Train No. 20807 Visakhapatnam–Amritsar Hirakud Express leaving Visakhapatnam on 12th, 13th, and 16th December 2025 will run via the diverted route. Train No. 20808 Amritsar–Visakhapatnam Hirakud Express leaving Amritsar on 10th, 13th, 14th, and 17th December 2025 will run via the diverted route. Train No. 18117 Rourkela–Gunupur Rajyarani Express departing Rourkela between 12th and 19th December 2025 will be diverted. Train No. 18118 Gunupur–Rourkela Rajyarani Express leaving Gunupur from 12th to 20th December 2025 will run via the diverted route. Additionally, safety-related modernization works in the Khurda Road Division in the Khurda–Palasa section will lead to the regulation of certain train services. Short Termination of Trains: Train No. 58532 Visakhapatnam–Brahmapur Passenger leaving Visakhapatnam on 9th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 28th, 29th, and 30th December 2025 will be short-terminated at Palasa. Train No. 58531 Brahmapur–Visakhapatnam Passenger will depart from Palasa instead of Brahmapur on 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 29th, 30th, and 31st December 2025. Rescheduling of Trains: Train No. 12703 Howrah–Secunderabad Falaknuma Express leaving Howrah will be rescheduled by 1 hour and 30 minutes on 11th, 18th, 22nd, and 25th December 2025. Train No. 12840 MGR Chennai Central–Howrah Mail leaving MGR Chennai Central will be rescheduled by 2 hours on 11th, 18th, 22nd, and 25th December 2025. Passengers are kindly requested to note these changes and plan their journeys accordingly. Indian Railways apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

TRAIN REGULATIONS ANNOUNCED ON KK LINE DUE TO POSTPONED AND SCHEDULED SAFETY MODERNISATION WORKS Indian Railways has announced a series of train regulations on the KK line following the postponement of safety-related modernisation works. Originally scheduled for 9 December 2025, the LHS block between Jagdalpur and Kumar Maranga in the Waltair Division will now be undertaken on 10 December 2025. As a result, the following train services will be regulated: Train No. 58501 Visakhapatnam–Kirandul Passenger departing on 9.12.2025 will be short-terminated at Dantewara. Train No. 58502 Kirandul–Visakhapatnam Passenger will start from Dantewara on 9.12.2025 instead of Kirandul. Train No. 18107 Rourkela–Jagdalpur Express leaving on 9.12.2025 will run only up to Koraput. Train No. 18108 Jagdalpur–Rourkela Express will originate from Koraput on 10.12.2025 instead of Jagdalpur. Train No. 18447 Bhubaneswar–Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express departing on 9.12.2025 will be short-terminated at Koraput. Train No. 18448 Jagdalpur–Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express will start from Koraput on 10.12.2025 instead of Jagdalpur. Train No. 58501 Visakhapatnam–Kirandul Passenger leaving on 10.12.2025 will be short-terminated at Koraput. Train No. 58502 Kirandul–Visakhapatnam Passenger will originate from Koraput on 10.12.2025 instead of Kirandul. In addition, safety-related modernisation works between Araku and Shimiliguda on 13 and 15 December 2025 will affect train operations between Koraput and Kottavalasa. The 58501/58502 Visakhapatnam–Kirandul–Visakhapatnam Passenger will remain cancelled between Visakhapatnam and Koraput on both days, but services will be available between Koraput and Kirandul as follows: Train No. 58501 will depart from Koraput on 13.12.2025 and terminate at Dantewada, and on 15.12.2025 it will run from Koraput to Kirandul. Train No. 58502 will start from Dantewada on 13.12.2025 and run up to Koraput; on 15.12.2025, it will operate from Kirandul to Koraput. Passengers are advised to take note of these temporary changes and plan their travel accordingly. Indian Railways regrets the inconvenience caused.

INDIAN RAILWAYS ANNOUNCES REVISED COACH COMPOSITION FOR GUNTUR TO RAYAGADA EXPRESS To enhance passenger comfort, Indian Railways has decided to revise the coach composition of the Guntur–Rayagada–Guntur Express. The new rake formation for Train No. 17243 (Guntur–Rayagada Express) will come into effect from 20 December 2025, while the updated composition for Train No. 17244 (Rayagada–Guntur Express) will be implemented from 21 December 2025. Under the revised arrangement, the trains will operate with 24 coaches, including: 1 Second AC coach 3 Third AC coaches 14 Sleeper class coaches 4 General second-class coaches 2 Second Class–cum–Luggage (Divyangjan) coaches This change aims to provide a more comfortable and convenient travel experience for passengers.