A corridor block is being implemented on the Southern Railway's Salem, Madurai, and Thiruvananthapuram railway divisions from July 8th to July 31st, 2025. Development and maintenance work will be carried out during this period.
Jharkhand: Due to infrastructure development work underway in the Madurai, Salem, and Thiruvananthapuram divisions of the Southern Railway, the railway has rerouted several major trains from July 8th to July 31st, 2025. Four long-distance trains passing through the Kharagpur and Chakradharpur railway divisions will be diverted via alternative routes during this time.
These trains include the Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express (18190), Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express (13352), Kanyakumari-Howrah Superfast Express (12666), and Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express (22503). The railway has requested passengers of these trains to confirm their train number and route before commencing their journey.
Why has the route been changed?
The railway administration has declared a corridor block in several divisions of the Southern Railway from July 8th to July 31st. During this period, work such as track repair, signal upgrades, and bridge construction is being undertaken. The operation of some trains has been directly affected due to these works. Therefore, the railway has decided to run these trains via alternative routes to save passengers from unnecessary inconvenience.
Which trains have had their routes changed?
1. 18190 Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express
- Departure Dates: July 8, 9, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, and 31
- New Route: Ernakulam → Podanur → Coimbatore → Irugur → Tatanagar
- This train will reach Tatanagar on the third day, via Coimbatore, on the scheduled dates.
2. 13352 Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express
- Departure Dates: July 8, 9, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, and 31
- New Route: Alappuzha → Podanur → Irugur → Dhanbad
- Note: The stop at Coimbatore station has been canceled for this train.
3. 12666 Kanyakumari-Howrah Superfast Express
- Departure Dates: July 12 and 19
- New Route: Kanyakumari → Virudhunagar → Manamadurai → Karaikudi → Tiruchirappalli → Howrah
- This route has been decided with the aim of preventing delays and reducing congestion of trains.
4. 22503 Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express
- Departure Date: July 26
- New Route: Kanyakumari → Alappuzha → Dibrugarh
- Under this change, this train will reach Dibrugarh directly via Alappuzha.
Suggestions for Passengers
- The railway administration has requested passengers to confirm the date, time, and route of the concerned train before traveling.
- It is better to get information from the NTES app, the railway's official website, or the 139 helpline number before traveling.
- Passengers from stations where the stop has been removed are advised to catch the train from an alternative station.
The statement issued by the railway stated that, we give the highest priority to the convenience and safety of passengers. This route change is temporary and is limited only to the duration of development works. All railway passengers are requested to remain patient and check for updates in advance.
