Indian Railways is planning to start three more ‘Ramayana Express’ trains from different parts of the country which will cover all the important destinations associated with the life history of Lord Ram, including his birth place Ayodhya.
According to an official of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the first train – Delhi to Chennai – was flagged off from Safdarjung railway station on 14 November. Buoyed by its response, the corporation has decided to launch similar trains from Rajkot, Jaipur and Madurai as well, under “Bharat Darshan Special Tourist Train” scheme.
All these four trains will cover Ayodhya and other places which find mention in Ramayan like Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Chitrakoot and Nasik. It will also have stops at Nandigram, Shringaverpur, Hampi and Rameshwaram, said the official.
The circuit comprises two travel components – one in India and another in Sri Lanka. Those passengers opting for Sri Lanka will take a flight from Chennai to Colombo. The four-day Sri Lanka tour package will cover destinations like Colombo, Nuwara, Eliya and Kandy. While the cost of per person was Rs 15,120 for visiting Indian sites, it is Rs 36,970 for sites including Sri Lanka.
“Normally, special tourist trains have an occupancy of 50-60%, but seats for the inaugural ‘Ramayana Express’ were sold out within 15 days after the train was announced on 7 July,” the official added.
The next train will start from Rajkot on 7 December for which the IRCTC has started booking tickets.
The IRCTC is targeting 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 it.