Travel Guides & Articles
India Boosts Onam Travel Experience with Additional Special Trains to Manage Festive Rush, Connecting Kottayam, Chennai, and Kollam for Seamless Journeys
Friday, July 25, 2025
In a bid to accommodate the heavy travel demand during the Onam festival, India has launched a series of special trains that promise to enhance connectivity and provide passengers with seamless and comfortable journeys. These exclusive services, linking key destinations like Kottayam, Chennai, and Kollam, are strategically designed to manage the festive rush, ensuring that travelers can reach their destinations without the usual hassle. By operating additional trains along crucial routes, the Indian Railways is not only easing congestion but also ensuring that passengers enjoy a smooth and efficient travel experience, making it easier for families and individuals to reunite and celebrate this important cultural festival.
Kottayam to Experience Increased Rail Connectivity with Special Trains for Onam Rush
As the vibrant Onam festival approaches, Kottayam is set to benefit from additional rail services to manage the heavy rush of travelers during this peak festive period. To ease the travel congestion, special trains will operate along the Salem-Erode-Palakkad route, providing more convenient options for passengers looking to journey across key destinations in the region.
Special Trains on Popular Routes
The special trains will offer passengers increased frequency and better timing, addressing the growing demand for travel during the Onam season. Among the special services, the Chennai Central–Kollam Train (06119) is one of the key highlights. This train will depart from Chennai Central at 3:10 pm on August 27, September 3, and September 10, with its arrival at Kollam scheduled for 6:20 am the following day.
For those wishing to return to Chennai, the Kollam–Chennai Central (06120) service will depart Kollam at 10:45 am on August 28, September 4, and September 11, arriving in Chennai at 3:30 am the following morning.
Additionally, the Chennai Central–Kottayam Train (06111) offers another vital connection. This service will leave Chennai Central at 11:20 pm on August 26, September 2, and September 9, reaching Kottayam at 1:30 pm the next day. The return service, Kottayam–Chennai Central (06112), will depart Kottayam at 6:00 pm on August 27, September 3, and September 10, with a scheduled arrival in Chennai at 11:35 am the following day.
High Demand for Onam Travel
The Onam festival, celebrated with great enthusiasm in the state, sees a surge in demand for transportation. According to railway officials, ticket bookings for regular trains around September 2, 3, and 4 were snapped up in no time, underscoring the increased demand during the festive period. The rush to secure seats on trains during this time is expected to continue as the festival draws nearer, especially with many individuals heading home to celebrate with their families and relatives.
To meet this demand, the special trains introduced will not only alleviate the pressure on existing routes but also ensure that travelers have more accessible options. Whether journeying to Kollam or Kottayam, these new services will provide an efficient means of transportation during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
Ensuring Smooth Travel During Onam
With the influx of travelers, the addition of these special trains aims to offer a smoother travel experience for everyone. Passengers are advised to book their tickets early, as availability is expected to remain tight due to high demand. The train schedules have been designed to allow for convenient travel times, reducing the strain of long journeys and offering a comfortable experience.
The railways have also focused on improving the infrastructure and cleanliness of trains to ensure that passengers traveling during the peak season experience maximum comfort. As Onam approaches, it is expected that the region’s transportation network will experience a smooth and well-managed flow of passengers, thanks to these extra services.
To manage the increased travel demand during Onam, India has introduced special trains connecting Kottayam, Chennai, and Kollam. These services aim to provide seamless and comfortable journeys, easing congestion and ensuring a smooth travel experience for passengers during the festive rush.
Final Thoughts
The introduction of special trains to handle the Onam rush is a welcome move for the people of Kottayam, Chennai, and other nearby regions. With greater connectivity and more travel options, passengers will be able to enjoy a hassle-free journey while making the most of the festive season. As demand for train services continues to rise, these measures will help ensure that travelers can reach their destinations in a timely and comfortable manner.
Seven wonders within Fatehpur Sikri, India
This monumental Mughal capital 37 kilometres outside Agra was founded in 1571 but lasted scant decades. The magnificently mournful ruins are one of India’s most underrated sights.
1 Make a grand entrance through Victory Gateway
As you lurch out of Agra, dodging cars and camel carts, your first sight of this ruined city is an immense hilltop gateway, one of the world’s biggest, wobbling like a mirage in the heat. Victory Gateway was built in 1602 from red sandstone and white marble to commemorate Emperor Akbar’s military triumphs, although its Persian inscription warns the world doesn’t last. This by itself qualifies as a mighty monument, and the views are splendid.
2 Pause in admiration inside the mosque
Step through the gateway into the courtyard of the Friday Mosque and you get the first impact of this tremendous ensemble. Everything is built of red sandstone, everything outsized, and yet the decorative detail – window frames, balconies, roof brackets – wonderfully carved. The mosque is one of India’s finest and largest and centres on the tomb of a Sufi, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Local women come to tie strings on the marble lattice in hope of being granted children.
3 Check out the architecture in the Audience Hall
This gloriously startling building in the royal quarter is where Akbar consulted advisers. The Diwan-i-Khas has wall recesses that served as bookshelves for royal documents and texts. However, your eyes will surely be on the enormous and wildly ornate octagonal pillar of the main hall, which rises from the centre of the room like the handle of an umbrella and props up an elevated walkway that resembles the balcony in an opera house.
4 Look up in the Imperial Treasury
Fatehpur Sikri shows wide Hindu, Islamic and Persian influences but this genius building next to the Audience Hall takes inspiration from Jain temple architecture and decorative sculpture. Stone safes are concealed in the walls, but gaze up: the brackets that hold up the ceiling are embellished with mythical elephant-headed sea monsters, said to guard treasures in the depths of the ocean. In the fields behind, don’t miss the odd-looking spiky tower erected in memory of Akbar’s beloved elephant Hiran.
5 Enjoy the faded frescoes in Mariam’s House
The harem complex has several fine pavilions, some showing Turkish influences and others covered with depictions of swans and horses. The carvings and fretwork are so fine in places you could mistake sandstone for wood. If you’re pressed for time, head straight to Mariam’s House, perhaps the best example. As a bonus, it has bright and sometimes surreal gold-tinted frescoes – look out for the diaphanous woman riding a gigantic parrot.
6 Wander through the other imperial quarters
This is the most impressive part of Fatehpur Sikri, erupting in columns, latticed screens and elaborately decorated architectural elements, and graced with ornamental pools and clipped gardens. Persian verses loop across the emperor’s bedroom or House of Dreams, although judging from his innumerable concubines Akbar spent scant time on sleep. The pool below the elevated kiosk cooled the bedchamber. This is just one of numerous buildings that might take an hour or two to admire.
7 Close your guidebook and get lost
Fatehpur Sikri was planned in the smallest detail: servants’ quarters, lavatory blocks, fountain drainage, masonry rings to hold silk canopies for courtyard shading. Take time to inspect the detail and soak up the melancholy magnificence away from the main visitor axis. Birds wheel overhead and squirrels sun themselves on walls. In the late afternoon the sandstone turns crimson, then orange and subtle pink before the light fades on this abandoned city of lost dreams.
The writer travelled as a guest of Incredible India incredibleindia.gov.in and Malaysia Airlines malaysiaairlines.com
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Heavy rain alert in Delhi–Gurugram: IMD issues an orange alert; travel and safety advisory |
In a recent update, Delhi and its surrounding NCR cities, including Gurugram, Noida, and Faridabad, have received intense rainfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi while a warning of very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms has been issued for Gurugram.Keeping the current situation in view, the District Disaster Management Authority has issued a travel advisory for Gurugram for 2nd September 2025. It reads:On September 1, 2025, Gurugram recorded over 100 mm of rainfall between 3 PM and 7 PM. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall on September 2, 2025.In light of this warning:Corporate offices and private institutions in Gurugram district are advised to ask employees to work from home.
All schools in the district are directed to conduct online classes on September 2, 2025.On the other hand, Delhi too is experiencing non-stop rains which have caused waterlogging and long traffic across roads. Authorities are closely monitoring the Yamuna River too, which is expected to rise close to the danger mark of 206 metres on Tuesday. Low-lying areas are particularly vulnerable to flooding.India Meteorological Department forecastIn the present scenario, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi for heavy rainfall. Similar alerts have been issued for NCR regions including Noida, Faridabad, and Gurugram. A yellow warning has been issued for Ghaziabad.Not only this, IMD has cautioned that northern India may experience heavy rainfall at least until September 5 especially for Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab which are under red and orange alerts.Travel disrupted, airlines issue advisoryAirlines such as IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa too have issued warnings and advised people of possible delays and cancellations due to poor visibility. Passengers are advised to check flight status before leaving the house.Advisory
It is advised to avoid flood-prone zones, underpasses, and Yamuna ghats.Use public transport.For those in Gurugram, work from home is strongly recommended on September 2 as safety of people is more important.Keep a check on official IMD and local weather updates before planning anything.
Northeast India, with its lush forests, rugged mountains, and pristine rivers, is a biodiversity hotspot offering unparalleled opportunities to encounter some of the world’s rarest wildlife. The region’s national parks and sanctuaries protect unique ecosystems and endangered species like the one-horned rhinoceros, red panda, clouded leopard and more. From Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam to Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur, find out what makes these national parks so unique, and what rare creatures these parks have in store for visitors.
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