Thiruvananthapuram: Two special trains, one from Yeswanthpura to Kottayam and the other from Hubballi to Kollam via Bengaluru, have been announced to avoid overcrowding in trains during the extremely busy Diwali festive season. The Hubballi – Bengaluru – Kollam train (07313) departs at 3.15 pm on October 26, reaches Bengaluru SMVT at 11 pm, and arrives at Kollam by 5.10 pm on October 27. Meanwhile, the return trip (07314) begins at 8.30 pm from Kollam on Sunday and reaches Bengaluru SMVT at 11.30 am the next day and Hubballi by 8.45 pm. This train has stops at Kollam, Kundara, Kottarakkara, Avaneeshwaram, Punalur, Thenmala, Sengottai, Thenkasi, Virudanagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Karur, Salem, Bangarapet, Krishnarajapuram, Bengaluru SMVT, Tumkur, Ranibennur and Haveri.
The Yeswanthpura – Kottayam special (06215) leaves the station at 6.30 pm on October 29 and reaches Kottayam by 8.10 am on October 30. The main stops of this train are KR Puram, Whitefield, Bangarpet, Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur, Aluva and Ernakulam Town. Meanwhile, the Kottayam – Yeswanthpuram special (06216) leaves at 11.10 am on October 30 and reaches Yeswanthpura by 1.15 am.