Tickets sold out within minutes on several popular routes, and waiting lists for trains to Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Madurai and Virudhunagar exceeded 200.

Bookings opened 60 days in advance; those for November 5 departed at 8 AM, and tickets on multiple popular services were snapped up within minutes. Heavy traffic over the IRCTC site hampered many passengers' attempts to book.

The Chennai-to-southern district corridor filled up quickly; services such as the Kanyakumari Express, Ananthapuri Express, Nellai Express, Pothigai Express and Muthunagar Express sold out. Trains bound for Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar and Madurai were also fully booked.

Commuters called on Southern Railway to add extra trains for the festival, citing a surge of travellers heading back to their hometowns.