East Coast Railway extends special trains on key routes; services to continue till Feb 2026

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has announced the extension of several Time-Table on Demand (TOD) special trains operating on key inter-state routes, providing continued connectivity between Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

The extension details were shared through an official advisory issued by the zone, with revised validity periods stretching into January and February 2026.

Route-Wise Extension Details

According to the notification, the TOD special train number 02811 running between Bhubaneswar and Yesvantpur will now operate up to February 21, 2026, with services scheduled on Saturdays. Its return service, train number 02812 from Yesvantpur to Bhubaneswar, has been extended up to February 23, 2026, operating on Mondays.

Similarly, the Visakhapatnam–Bengaluru (SMVB) TOD special, train number 08581, will continue its Sunday services until January 25, 2026, while the return train number 08582 from Bengaluru (SMVB) to Visakhapatnam will operate on Mondays until January 26, 2026.

The railway zone has also extended services on the Sambalpur–Erode Junction sector. Train number 08311 from Sambalpur to Erode Junction will continue running on Wednesdays until January 28, 2026. The return service, train number 08312 from Erode Junction to Sambalpur, has been extended up to January 30, 2026, operating on Fridays.

Extension Comes Amid Fare Hike

The announcement comes close on the heels of Indian Railways’ decision to revise passenger fares, which came into effect from December 26, 2025.

Under the revised structure, non-AC passengers travelling up to 500 kilometres are paying an additional Rs 10, while fares in non-AC Mail and Express trains have increased by 2 paise per kilometre. Suburban train services, Monthly Season Tickets, and ordinary class journeys up to 215 kilometres have been exempted from the fare hike.

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Indian Railways has stated that the fare rationalisation is expected to generate approximately Rs 600 crore in additional revenue in one financial year.

Official data indicate that manpower expenses have risen to Rs 1.15 lakh crore and pension liabilities to Rs 60,000 crore, taking total operational expenditure to Rs 2.63 lakh crore in 2024–25.