Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is likely to run Bharat Gaurav trains in the Mumbai , Delhi sector . "We have already registered with central and northern railway and deposited an initial amount of Rs one lakh for the operation Bharat Gaurav trains in Mumbai - Delhi sector " , IRCTC officials told FPJ on Thursday .
Asked about the torque plan of proposed Bharat Gaurav trains in Mumbai , Delhi sector, officials said, it's yet to be finalised, but we hope to complete all the process within 2 to 3 months. The proposed tourist train will be fitted with a well equipped pantry car for rustling up freshly made vegetarian meals for the tourists. Infotainment system, CCTV camera, security guard services shall also be available on board.
Showcasing India's rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world (Theme- based Tourist Circuit trains) the Indian Railways had introduced Bharat Gaurav trains, first-of-its-kind theme-based tourist circuit trains. Now, stakeholders from various zones have shown interest in running the tourist trains including IRCTC.
"For Bharat Gaurav trains minor modifications of coaches are allowed with safety protocols. Trains will be uniquely numbered and will be accorded priority of Mail Express Trains '' said an official adding that service providers can select offered rakes under ‘Right to Use’ model from the Railway. IRCTC has also tied up with Paytm and Razorpay payment gateways for providing EMI payment options to the customers.
IRCTC Ltd, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways is launching and operating the first Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train (modern state of the art AC rake) from Delhi on 21st June 2022 and will cover all prominent places associated with the life of Lord Rama.
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. After Ayodhya, the next destination is Buxar where the tourists will be shown the hermitage of Maharishi Vishwamitra and the Ramrekha Ghat where the guests can take a holy dip in the Ganges. From here the train moves to Sitamarhi for the visit of Sita’s birth place and proceeds by road to Janakpur (Nepal). Tourists will stay overnight at hotels in Janakpur and visit the famous Ram-Janaki Temple in Janakpur.
After completion of Sitamarhi visit, the train proceeds to the oldest living city of the world, Varanasi. While at Kashi, tourists will walk around the temples at Varanasi Sita Samahit Sthal, Prayag, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot will be covered by road. Night stay at hotels will be provided at Varanasi, Prayag and Chitrakoot. The train journey on the next leg moves to Nasik for overnight stay at Hotels.
Visit to Trimbakeshwar temple and Panchvati will be covered .Next destination after Nasik is the visit to the ancient city of Krishkindha, Hampi with overnight stay at hotels. Here the guests will visit the temple believed to be the birth place of Shri Hanuman atop the Anjaneyadri Hills and other heritage and religious sites. Rameshwaram is the next destination of this train tour wherein Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanushkodi will be covered along with overnight stay at hotels.The train destination is Kanchipuram where Shiv Kanchi, Vishnu Kanchi and Kamakhshi temples are on the day’s excursion. From here,the last destination that the train touches in this tour is Bhadrachalam in Telengana state which is also widely referred as the Ayodhya of the south. After this, the train will return back to Delhi on the 18th day of its journey covering roughly a distance of around 8000 Kms in this entire Ramayana tour.
