Train tickets for 12 January, the first big getaway day before Pongal, go on sale today, and each later travel date opens one day at a time until 20 November.
Today is the first of the Pongal booking days. Under the Railway Board’s 60-day rule, tickets for journeys on Tuesday 12 January 2027 open this morning, 13 November, and every following travel date opens a day later. For anyone leaving Chennai Central or Egmore for the south on the Thursday before the festival, the day to be at the screen is Sunday 15 November.
Why does booking open exactly 60 days ahead?
Because that is the advance reservation period. The Railway Board’s Commercial Circular No. 10 of 2024, dated 16 October 2024, cut the time limit for advance reservations from 120 days to 60 days, excluding the date of journey, with effect from 1 November 2024. So the count starts the day after booking day.
The circular left two groups alone. Foreign tourists keep their 365-day limit, and some day-time express trains keep their existing, shorter windows.
When does each Pongal date open?
Pongal falls on Friday 15 January in the 2027 State holiday list, with Bhogi on Thursday 14 January and Thiruvalluvar Day and Uzhavar Thirunal on the Saturday and Sunday. That gives the travel calendar below.
| Travel date | Occasion | Booking opens |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 12 January | Early departures | Fri 13 November |
| Wed 13 January | Early departures | Sat 14 November |
| Thu 14 January | Bhogi | Sun 15 November |
| Fri 15 January | Pongal | Mon 16 November |
| Sat 16 January | Thiruvalluvar Day | Tue 17 November |
| Sun 17 January | Uzhavar Thirunal | Wed 18 November |
| Mon 18 January | Return | Thu 19 November |
| Tue 19 January | Return | Fri 20 November |
Booking dates counted under Railway Board Commercial Circular No. 10 of 2024 (60 days, excluding the date of journey). Festival dates as in the Tamil Nadu holiday list for 2027.
போகி (Bhogi) and பொங்கல் (Pongal) fall on a Thursday and Friday this time, so the long weekend runs four days, from 14 to 17 January. The two busiest booking mornings are likely to be Sunday 15 and Monday 16 November.
What time do bookings open?
At 8 am on the opening day, on the IRCTC website and app and at railway reservation counters. Saving passenger details in the IRCTC master list in advance and keeping a payment method ready saves time at the counter or on screen.
Will there be special trains?
Not yet announced. Railway officials have said Pongal specials will be run according to demand, after regular reservations are completed, which is the pattern every year. Their booking dates are notified separately and do not follow this calendar. A waitlisted ticket on a regular train on 15 November is no reason to give up on the date.
Has the window always been 60 days?
No, and this is its second turn at 60. The Ministry of Railways told the Lok Sabha on 7 August 2014 that the advance reservation period had been reduced from 120 days to 60 days with effect from 1 May 2013. The longer 120-day window came back under an instruction of 27 February 2015, which the 2024 circular cited and replaced. In the same 2014 answer, the ministry said cancellation charges were not tracked separately; the miscellaneous coaching receipts that include them rose from ₹635.32 crore in 2012-13 to a provisional ₹932.99 crore in 2013-14.
Bookings made up to 31 October 2024 under the old 120-day limit stayed valid, the 2024 circular said. Any ticket for Pongal 2027 is now bought under the 60-day rule, starting with today’s 12 January trains.
Checked against official sources on 13 November 2026.
