As Puja bookings have begun, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has announced its ambitious plan to flag off the Bharat Gaurav Special Tourist train from West Bengal to Vaishno Devi. The train will leave Kolkata station on August 8 under a special programme of the Uttar Bharat Darshan Yatra.
The trip
According to Zafar Azam, group regional director IRCTC, Kolkata, the train will cover Vaishno Devi Temple, along with Hardwar, Rishikesh, and the Golden Temple, Wagah Border, Taj Mahal, Mathura Vrindavan and Ayodhya.
“The train will cover all these places in 10 nights and 11 days and return to Kolkata,” said Azam.
The packages have been classified under three categories… economy (580 seats), standard class (140 seats) and comfort class (70 seats).
The package cost of these (three) classes has been pegged at Rs 17,700, Rs 27,400 and Rs 30,300 per person respectively. “These are special prices offered after a 33 per cent discount by the Indian Railways,” said Zafar.
According to him, once a person purchases the ticket, everything would be taken care of by the IRCTC for the 11-day trip. Starting from food, accommodation, cars and local sightseeing, everything has been included in the cost. “For the economy class, we will provide non-AC hotels and cars while AC accommodations and cars for the rest. However, if a person chooses non-AC hotels and cars, the package would be modified,” said Azam. Only vegetarian food will be served on board. However, non-vegetarian food can be purchased separately.
The ticket price can be paid in instalments and the service can be availed via the website. Persons opting for the EMI scheme will have to pay 10% to 15% of the loan amount as down payment and the rest in instalments over a year or two.
