Transporters plan big for Mahamaham rush

The 10-day festival that begins on February 13 will come to a close on February 22 with the ‘Theerthavari’.

Collector of Thanjavur N Subbaiyan said that TNSTC will be operating 2800 special services for the festival from Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Tiruchy, Dindigul, Erode, Coimbatore and different other parts of the state. Six temporary bus stands set up in Kumbakonam will accommodate these special and regular buses. 

According to a TNSTC official, they have also planned to operate shuttle services to connect all the temporary bus stands. Enquiries with Omni bus operators in Chennai revealed that the bookings were almost full. 

“Bookings are being done from Chennai for all 10 days of the festival and not just for Theerthavari,” a booking agent of Rathimeena Travels in Chennai told DtNext. To clear the extra rush of pilgrims attending the festival, the Southern Railway on have already announced Suvidha special trains between Chennai Egmore and Tiruchy via Kumbakonam and Thanjavur. 

While train No. 00649 will leave Chennai Egmore at 10.45 p.m. on February 20 and reach Tiruchy at 6 a.m. the next day, Train No. 00650 will leave Tiruchy at 11.50 p.m. on February 22 and reach Chennai Egmore at 7.20 a.m. the next day. 

Advance reservations for the special trains have commenced on Thursday. 

While bookings in regular trains from Chennai to Kumbakonam is already full with more than 100 wait-listed passengers in the sleeper class, bookings in the high-priced Suvidha special trains are yet to gather steam.