The Indian Railways seems to be all set to begin their third segment of trains for tourism after the passenger, freight segments, which is also known as Bharat Gaurav trains as Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.
Launch Of Bharat Gaurav Trains
Further, these Bharat Gaurav trains will be run by both players private and IRCTC in theme-based circuits, according to the railway’s minister.
At present, over 3,033 coaches have been identified for this task and around 190 trains have been allocated.
Now anyone, tour operators, etc, can apply for and lease trains and operate said Vaishnaw.
Not only that now the tour operators will also have the authority to decide the rates.
Further, the Railway’s minister said, “We’ve allocated over 180 trains for ‘Bharat Gaurav’ trains and 3033 coaches identified. We’ll start taking applications from today. We’ve received a good response. Stakeholders will modify and run the train and Railways will help in maintenance, parking and other facilities,” while addressing a press conference.
Theme-based Train
Basically, Bharat Gaurav trains will be theme-based, hence showcasing the country’s culture and heritage, according to the rail minister.
Further adding, Vaishnaw said that the idea originated from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who suggested theme-based trains so that people in the country can understand, appreciate and take forward India’s heritage.
Boosting Tourism In The Country
So far, some of the state governments such as Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have shown interest in these trains, Vaishnaw said.
On November 23, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Bharat Gaurav trains will boost tourism and there are many aspects to it, in a press conference.
According to him, “This is a completely new segment. This is not a regular train service. The purpose of ‘Bharat Gaurav’ trains is to boost tourism and there are many aspects to it. We have allocated over 150 trains for ‘Bharat Gaurav’ trains. We will start taking applications from today. We have received a good response,”.
In another development, the catering and tourism arm of the railway’s ministry, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), said that it will change the saffron uniform of the serving staff on board the Shri Ramayana Yatra Special Train after seers from Ujjain took strong objection to the dress code, saying it was an “insult” to Hindu religion on Monday.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.