NEW DELHI: Come June 21 this year and India’s first Bharat Gaurav tourist train would make its maiden journey under the command of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) following the Ministry of Railways’ new policy.
The railway has approved the routes to run this train on the Ramayana Circuit, which has been identified under Swadesh Darshan scheme covering prominent places associated with life of Lord Shri Rama.
Sharing details with TNIE, spokesperson IRCTC Anand K Jha on Tuesday evening said that the visit to the famous temple of Ram Janaki in Janakpur under the Nepal territory has also been made the part of the Bharat Gaurav train’s itinerary.
“ This would be totally AC Bharat Gaurav train originating from Delhi Safadarganj railway station on June 21,equipped with a well equipped pantry car and infotainment system, CCTV camera, security guard services and other amenities on-board for passengers”, Jha said.
The Bharat Gaurav tourist train will have a capacity of providing accommodation to around 600 tourists and the IRCTC has tied up with Paytm and Razor pay payment gateways for providing EMI payment option to the customers.
“The proposed 18 day Bharat Gaurav tourist train tour has its first stop at Ayodhya- the birthplace of Lord Rama, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmbhumi temple and Hanuman temple and additionally Bharat Mandir at Nandigram”, Jha said, adding that after Ayodhya, the next destination would be in Bihar’s Buxar to see the hermitage of Maharishi Vishwamitra and the Ramrekha Ghats.
“Buxar, the country’s first Bharat Gaurav train will move to Sitamarhi for the visit of Sita’s birth place and proceed by road to Janakpur (Nepal) from there”, Jha added.
The Bharat Gaurav tourist train will take the passengers to Varanasi, Nasik for Trayambakeshwar temple and Panchvati also. After covering a distance of around 8000 kms, the train will return to Delhi. Jha said that the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train has been launch in line with the Government of India initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism.
Amid rising cases of COVID-19, the IRCTC has decided to provide a safety kit to all tourists containing a face mask, hand gloves and a hand sanitizer. The COVID-19 final vaccination is mandatory for all guests of the age of 18 years and above.