3 more Ramayana Express trains to hit tracks
NEW DELHI: The ‘Ramayana circuit’, covering locations associated with the Hindu epic, is turning into a new mode of revenue for the Indian Railways. Three more Ramayana Express trains are being launched from different parts of the country after getting a good response for the first one, starting on November 14 from Delhi to Chennai , according to officials familiar with the development.
Officials said that while special tourist trains usually have an occupancy of 50-60%, seats for the inaugural ride of the Ramayana Express were sold out within 15 days after the train was announced on July 7.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is now launching similar trains from Rajkot, Jaipur and Madurai. All four trains will cover Ayodhya, which, according to the epic, is the birthplace of Hindu god Ram. They will also go to other locations named in the epic, such as Hanuman Garhi, Ramkot and the Kanak Bhawan temple.
The trains will make stops at Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag, Shringaverpur, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameshwaram, or the nearest railway station to these locations. The railways will facilitate trips by road from the station to the pilgrimage sites, said a senior IRCTC official who asked not to be named.
The railways may add different boarding points and stops, as per the demand from passengers. The Madurai train will also start on November 14 and will charge ~15,830 per passenger. The cost for the train starting in Delhi is ~15120.
“The demand for the Ramayana circuit has prompted us to launch more trains covering the route. The train from Madurai will also cover Nasik, Darbhanga, Devipatinam and Thirupullani. There is another one starting from Jaipur on November 22 which will come to Delhi picking up passengers from Alwar and Rewari and then start the Ramayana journey. W will either call Ramayana Yat or Shri Ramayan Express. The tra from Rajkot w start on Decemb 7, and we are al exploring the po sibility of launc ing more trains,” said the IRCTC added. “There was always official cited above. demand for travel for Ayodhya, The train from Rajkot will but no travel company was able to have boarding points in Surendranagar, offer a package where they will Viramgam, Sabarmati, show every place related to Lord Anand , Vadodara, Godhra, Ram. Some individuals tried but Dahod and Meghnagar, another it was either hectic or costly. This IRCTC official said. is a very good move by railways The trains will have sleeper and will always give them profits class coaches with room for 800 as religious tourism always passengers. Those interested in a attracts a big crowd,” said Subhash separate Sri Lanka-leg can opt to Goyal, secretary of Federation travel to Colombo from Chennai of Associations of Indian by flight, the second official Tourism and Hospitality. IRCTC is targeting July 8, 2018 religious tourism to generate revenue and has asked the Railway Board to allow it to buy three trains to be run on the routes identified by them. IRCTC already runs Buddha circuit trains, which are luxury coaches and mostly target foreign tourists.