Indian Railways Starts International Train For Nepal: 1st Ever Tourist Train For Foreign Locations

IRCTC’s ‘Bharat Gaurav’ train will be the first tourist train from India to cross the international border into a neighbouring country.

IRCTC announced that the tourist train will travel to Nepal as part of the Ramayana Yatra Circuit.

Nepal Stoppages, Highlights

The circuit covers destinations associated with Lord Ram in Nepal — Dhanusha Pahar, Baawan Bigha Kshetra, Ma Janki Janmasthali Mandir and Shri Ram Vivah Sthal.

It 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,

A visit to Ram Janaki temple in Janakpur located in Nepal by train will be part of this tour itinerary, the first time in its history.

Aside from Nepal, the train will also cover several Indian states on the Ramayana Circuit as identified under the Ministry of Tourism’s Swadesh Darshan scheme to promote pilgrimage sites associated with Lord Ram.

Indian Sites Covered

The following will be covered under the 8,000-km tour:

States

• Uttar Pradesh
• Bihar
• Madhya Pradesh
• Maharashtra
• Karnataka
• Tamil Nadu
• Andhra Pradesh 
• Telangana

Cities 

• Ayodhya
• Buxar
• Janakpur
• Sitamarhi
• Kashi
• Prayag
• Chitrakoot
• Nasik
• Hampi
• Rameshwaram
• Kanchipuram 
• Bhadrachalam

Features

Its total capacity is 600 out of which around 450 have already been booked.

A final certificate of Covid-19 vaccination is mandatory for passengers to be allowed on board.

The 14-coach train will include 11 AC three-tier coaches for tourists, a restaurant car, a pantry car, and a separate coach for use by the train staff.

Other features include an infotainment system, as well as CCTVs and guards to ensure security on board.

It will also be the first such train for tourists with all third AC coaches

Yoga-Dedicated Coaches

The coaches’ interior will be decorated with posters and artwork highlighting various themes.

Two of the coaches have been dedicated to yoga, where an instructor will showcase various asanas.

Interested passengers will be able to perform them in the coach itself.

Passengers will be provided a safety kit containing a face mask, hand gloves and hand sanitiser.

They will be offered freshly cooked vegetarian meals.

Departure, Duration, Costs, Inclusions

It will depart from New Delhi’s Safdarjung Station on June 21, the International Yoga Day.

The train will take 18 days to complete its journey and will cover eight states and 12 cities across the country.

The cost will be Rs 62,370 per person and is inclusive of 3 AC tier charge, night stay at hotels, meals, sight-seeing in buses, travel insurance and services of guide.

The IRCTC has tied up with Paytm and Razor pay payment gateways for providing EMI payment options to the customers.