After launching the tourist train on the Shri Ramayana Yatra circuit last month, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is planning to set in motion new travel packages under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme of the Indian Railways, Zee Business reported.

As part of the Bharat Gaurav scheme, the Indian Railways plans to launch theme-based tourist circuit trains that showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places. The Bharat Gaurav policy was launched by the government in November last year, allowing private players to operate trains on theme-based circuits.

According to the report, IRCTC is planning to design pocket-friendly small packages in places like Northeast India. One train that is likely to be introduced in the monsoon could connect Lord Shiva temples as part of its tour itinerary.

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Packages and prices

The short-duration Bharat Gaurav trains by IRCTC will have packages for journeys between 2-7 days. Tickets are expected to be priced at around Rs 3,000 per day. The ticket prices will include three meals a day, train travel expense, stay, transfers and tour guide cost. The train is likely to have AC-3 tiers, the report said.

IRCTC’s Shri Ramayana Yatra

Last month, an IRCTC tourist train launched an 18-day Shri Ramayana Yatra special train that connected sacred places associated with the life of Lord Ram. The train departed from Safdarjung railway station, New Delhi, on June 21 and covered a distance of approximately 8,000 kilometres across India and Nepal. With this train, the IRCTC became India's first agency to connect two countries through a tourist train.

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Tourists on the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ tourist train travelled through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. As part of the package, tourists visited the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, the Ram-Janaki Temple in Janakpur, Nepal, and other religious places.

According to the IRCTC portal, the journey cost passengers Rs 71,820 for single occupancy and Rs 62,370 for double and triple occupancies.

Earlier packages

Apart from the IRCTC’s Shri Ramayana Yatra special train, the Indian Railways’ southern zone ran the country’s first privately-owned train under Bharat Gaurav scheme, from Coimbatore to Shirdi on June 14. The train, with 1,100 passengers, stopped at Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Yelahanka, Dharmavaram, Mantralayam Road and Wadi. The package was operated by South Star Rail, a Coimbatore-based company which is part of the Future Gaming & Hotel Services Pvt Ltd group.

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What is the Bharat Gaurav policy?

As per the government’s Bharat Gaurav policy, a private operator or service provider can lease trains from the Indian Railways and run them on a theme-based circuit as a special tourism package. The operator will be responsible for deciding the route, halts, services provided and tariff. The Indian Railways will provide the train drivers, guards and maintenance staff on board for the coaches. However, housekeeping and catering staff will be deployed by the private operator.

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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)