Southern Railway will operate three pairs of EMU passenger specials daily between Arakkonam and Tiruttani from August 5 to 7, extending selected suburban services to accommodate the expected increase in devotees travelling to the Tiruttani Murugan temple for the Aadi Krithigai festival.
Southern Railway has introduced three daily pairs of Electric Multiple Unit passenger specials between Arakkonam and Tiruttani for three days beginning Wednesday, August 5, to manage additional passenger demand during the Aadi Krithigai festival.
The services will operate until August 7 by extending selected Chennai–Arakkonam suburban trains beyond Arakkonam to Tiruttani. The arrangement provides three additional round trips each day on the final section of the Chennai suburban corridor serving the temple town.
Passenger Special 1, formed by trains 43407 and 43418, will depart Arakkonam at 10.20 am and reach Tiruttani at 10.40 am. It will leave Tiruttani at 10.50 am and return to Arakkonam at 11.15 am.
Passenger Special 2, using trains 43411 and 43422, will operate between 1 pm and 1.50 pm. Passenger Special 3, formed by trains 43413 and 43424, will run between 2.50 pm and 3.40 pm. Passengers should verify live operational information through authorised railway channels before beginning their journeys.
The special arrangement follows demands for greater rail capacity during the festival period. Around five lakh passengers ordinarily use the Chennai Central–Arakkonam suburban corridor each day, while festival-period patronage has been estimated at about six lakh. Existing direct services to Tiruttani were reported to be limited, increasing the likelihood of overcrowding as regular commuters and devotees use the same corridor.
Passenger representatives and Tiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil had sought more direct services from Chennai-side suburbs such as Avadi and Tiruvallur. The services now announced, however, principally add capacity between Arakkonam and Tiruttani rather than creating additional end-to-end trains from Chennai.
For passengers already travelling on the selected suburban services, the extensions reduce the need to change from rail to road transport at Arakkonam. This is particularly relevant for elderly travellers, families and devotees travelling during concentrated festival hours.
Special EMU Schedule
| Passenger special | Train numbers | Outward service | Return service |
| PS-1 | 43407/43418 | Arakkonam 10.20 am → Tiruttani 10.40 am | Tiruttani 10.50 am → Arakkonam 11.15 am |
| PS-2 | 43411/43422 | Operates from 1 pm | Completes round trip by 1.50 pm |
| PS-3 | 43413/43424 | Operates from 2.50 pm | Completes round trip by 3.40 pm |
The specials will operate daily from August 5 to August 7
