Chennai: In view of increased passenger demand, Indian Railways has announced the augmentation of several express train services with additional coaches to ease congestion and improve travel convenience.

According to the announcement, select trains operating between Chennai, Coimbatore, Mangaluru, Karaikal, Tambaram, and Ernakulam will run with extra coaches on specified dates.

The 12243 Dr MGR Chennai Central–Coimbatore Shatabdi Express and its return service 12244 Coimbatore–Dr MGR Chennai Central Shatabdi Express will each be augmented with one additional Chair Car coach for journeys commencing on March 28 and 29, 2026.

Similarly, the 16159 Chennai Egmore–Mangaluru Central Express (March 27) and 16160 Mangaluru Central–Chennai Egmore Express (March 29) will be provided with one extra Sleeper Class coach.

On the Tambaram–Karaikal route, the 16175 Tambaram–Karaikal Express will run with an additional Sleeper Class coach on March 27 and 28, while the return service 16176 Karaikal–Tambaram Express will have similar augmentation on March 30 and 31.

Further, the 16187 Karaikal–Ernakulam Junction Express will get one additional Sleeper Class coach on March 28 and 29, and the corresponding return train 16188 Ernakulam Junction–Karaikal Express will be augmented on March 29 and 30.

Railway officials said the move is aimed at accommodating the surge in passenger traffic during the period and ensuring smoother travel for commuters across these busy routes. DeshBharat