IRCTC to start Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train on June 21, will cover all Lord Rama-inspired places

Indian Railways start Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train's first journey on June 21 along the Ramayana Circuit, taking the tourist to places associated with the birth of Lord Ram's life, reports ANI.

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Under the new strategy of the Ministry of Railways, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will launch its inaugural Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train. On June 21, the train will make its first journey. This train will go along the Ramayana Circuit, which is part of the "Swadesh Darshan" plan and includes major locations related to Lord Shri Rama's life. This journey will include a train ride to the Ram Janaki temple in Janakpur, Nepal, for the first time in its history. 

According to the tour guide, the 18 days tour will start from Delhi`s Safdarjung Railway Station on June 21 by Bharat Gaurav AC tourist train. The train, with 10 third AC class coaches, can accommodate a total of around 600 tourists and is fitted with a well-equipped pantry car for rustling up freshly made vegetarian meals for the tourists.

An infotainment system, CCTV camera, and security guard services shall also be available onboard. Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train is the Union government`s initiative "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote domestic tourism.

A price range starting from Rs 62,370/- per person all-inclusive tour package, IRCTC also offers a 10 per cent discount for early 100 bookings as special promotions.

IRCTC has also tied up with Paytm and Razorpay payment gateways for providing EMI payment options to the customers. Government and PSU employees can avail LTC facility on this tour as per eligibility based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance. The proposed 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. The train will cover a distance of around 8000 Kms in this entire Ramayana tour.

Besides this, IRCTC will also provide a safety kit to all tourists containing a face mask, hand gloves and a hand sanitiser. Temperature check of all tourists and staff, frequent train sanitisation at halt stations etc. and other precautions will be ensured.COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all guests above 18 years.

With inputs from ANI