In anticipation of increased passenger traffic due to Maha Shivaratri and the upcoming weekend holidays, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation has announced the operation of additional bus services from Chennai to various destinations across the state. According to an official statement issued by the Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu State Express Transport Corporation, heavy travel demand is expected from Thursday (12-02-2026) to Sunday (15-02-2026), prompting authorities to augment regular services with special buses to accommodate the surge in passengers traveling to their native towns.
Affected Routes and Additional Services:
Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchirappalli, Kumbakonam, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruppur, Erode, Thoothukudi, Nagai, Velankanni, Hosur, Bengaluru.
125 additional buses to be operated on Thursday, 500 additional buses on Friday, 55 special services from Chennai Koyambedu terminus, special return services planned after the weekend.
Increased temple-bound travel owing to Maha Shivaratri, weekend holiday movement to native places, sharp rise in advance bookings, added pressure on public transport infrastructure.
Advance bookings recorded 690 passengers on Friday, 5,364 passengers on Saturday, and 10,128 passengers on Sunday, return travel services arranged from both Chennai and Bengaluru.
Officials further stated that 55 additional buses will be operated from the Chennai Koyambedu bus terminus to key destinations including Tiruvannamalai, Nagai, Velankanni, Hosur and Bengaluru. In addition, arrangements have been made to operate special services from various native towns to Chennai and Bengaluru to facilitate the return of passengers after the weekend holidays.
The Transport Corporation has urged passengers to make advance reservations and plan their travel accordingly to avoid last-minute inconvenience.
