By The Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways has shared some very exciting news about its train services. Over the past year, millions of passengers chose to travel on their trains, making this zone a top performer in the entire country. The official numbers for the financial year two thousand twenty five to twenty six show that Southern Railway trains are some of the most crowded and popular trains in all of India. This huge demand from the public has helped the railway zone earn a lot of money and set many new records.
The modern Vande Bharat Express trains are a big part of this success story. These fast and comfortable trains have become a favorite choice for many travelers in the southern states. Out of the top ten Vande Bharat trains with the most passengers in the whole country, four belong to the Southern Railway network. The train traveling from Thiruvananthapuram Central to Mangaluru Central was the absolute favorite. It recorded an amazing passenger booking rate of almost one hundred and eighty eight percent. This means that many more people booked tickets than the actual number of seats available, mostly because passengers board and leave at different stations along the way. The return journey from Mangaluru back to Thiruvananthapuram was also heavily packed, taking the third spot on the national list. Two other Vande Bharat trains connecting Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram also saw huge crowds, taking the fourth and seventh places.
It is not just the new fast trains that are doing well. The regular daily and weekly Express trains operated by Southern Railway are also heavily booked. Out of the top ten most occupied Express trains in India, an impressive six start their journey within this southern zone. The famous Parasuram Express, which runs between Kanniyakumari and Mangaluru, was completely full almost every single day. Its booking rate went over two hundred and sixty seven percent, making it the most occupied train on the list. Other long-distance trains going to places like Indore, New Delhi, and Okha also witnessed massive crowds and long waiting lists.
Because so many people traveled, the Southern Railway earned a record amount of money from selling passenger tickets. In the year two thousand twenty five and twenty six, they collected over eight thousand two hundred crore rupees. This is a very large increase compared to the year before. They earned an extra seven hundred and thirty five crore rupees in just one year. This solid financial growth makes Southern Railway the number one zone in India for generating passenger revenue.
To manage the heavy rush of travelers, especially during festivals and holidays, the railway officials ran many special extra trains. Even these extra trains were very successful. On average, each special train carried over one thousand three hundred passengers per trip. This number is much higher than the national average for other railway zones. More than thirty two lakh passengers used these special services to safely reach their homes and holiday destinations.
Getting a confirmed ticket at the last minute has also been very competitive. The Tatkal booking system, which allows people to buy tickets one day before the journey, saw huge demand. Almost all the special Tatkal seats on most trains were sold out very quickly. The money earned from these urgent bookings added a large amount to the total profits of the Southern Railway.
These fantastic numbers prove that more and more people in southern India prefer train travel over buses or cars. The combination of new fast trains like Vande Bharat and reliable daily Express trains has created a very strong transport network. The railway officials are very happy with these results and they hope to keep improving the travel experience for every passenger in the coming years.
Southern Railway recorded exceptional performance in 2025–26 with massive passenger demand across Vande Bharat and Express trains. Multiple trains reported occupancy above 100%, with Parasuram Express crossing 267%. The zone generated over ₹8,200 crore in revenue, marking a significant rise. Special trains and Tatkal bookings also saw heavy usage, highlighting growing preference for rail travel in southern India.
