IRCTC announces India - Nepal tourist train

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has achieved a new milestone that we all should be proud of. 
The IRCTC is set to become the first agency in India that will connect two countries through tourist trains under the Bharat Gaurav Scheme. 
The train will depart from New Delhi on the Shri Ramayana Yatra Circuit on June 21 and will cover the distance of approximately 8,000 kilometres between India and Nepal. 

The IRCTC announced this news in an official statement and has come as great news for all those tourists who harbour the desire to visit Nepal. Also Read - Petrol, Diesel Price Today on June 15, 2022: Fuel prices remain unchanged on Wednesday, check latest prices here.
 A tourist train that will connect two countries The train will start its journey from the Safdarjung railway station in Delhi on June 21 and will cover the distance of approximately 8,000 kilometres between India and Nepal on the Shri Ramayana Yatra Circuit. 
The duration of the tour is 18 days. This train will run on the Ramayana Circuit identified under the "Swadesh Darshan" scheme and will cover prominent places associated with the life of Lord Rama. A visit to Ram Janaki temple in Janakpur located in Nepal by train will be part of the tour itinerary, for the first time in its history. 
The train will cover major cities including Ayodhya, Buxar, Janakpur, Sitamarhi, Kashi, Prayag, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi, Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram and Bhadrachalam. The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train with ten 3rd AC class coaches will accommodate a total of 600 tourists. 
The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train is the central government's initiative "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote domestic tourism. The train's first stop will be Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmbhoomi temple and Hanuman temple and also Bharat Mandir at Nandigram. 
After Ayodhya, the next destination is Buxar where the tourists will be shown the hermitage of Maharishi Vishwamitra and the Ramrekha Ghat where the guests can take a holy dip in the Ganges. From there, the train will go to Sitamarhi where a temple dedicated to Sita is located at Punaura Dham Sitamarhi. 
From there, the tourists will proceed by road to Janakpur in Nepal. The tourists will stay overnight at hotels in Janakpur and visit the famous Ram-Janaki Temple. Keeping the safety of the passengers in mind, the IRCTC will also provide a safety kit to all tourists containing a face mask, hand gloves and hand sanitiser. 
Temperature check of all tourists and staff, frequent sanitization of train at halt stations etc and other precautions will be ensured. 
Staff shall be thoroughly checked and the kitchen will be cleaned and sanitized after every meal service. Also, COVID-19 final vaccination is mandatory for all guests of the age of l8 years and above. 
This fully air-conditioned tourist train will comprise eleven 3rd class AC coaches, one pantry car and two SLRs. Freshly cooked vegetarian meals will be served on board to the guests in their respective seats from the well-equipped modern pantry car. 
The train will also be fitted with an infotainment system for the entertainment of the passengers as well as for public announcements. From clean toilets to enhanced security features of CCTV Cameras and Security Guards for each coach have also been provided for the tourists. 
The cost of IRCTC's Ramayan Yatra is around Rs 65,000 per person. It will cover the states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. 
Under the Bharat Gaurav scheme, the service providers will offer an all-inclusive package to tourists, including rail travel, hotel accommodation, sightseeing arrangement, visiting historical or heritage sites, and tour guides. 
In order to make this package more attractive and affordable to a large population, IRCTC has tied up with Paytm and Razorpay payment gateways for providing EMI payment options for breaking the total payment into small-amount EMIs.
 Users can avail of the EMI payment option for making payments in 3,6,9, 12, 18 or 24-month EMIs. These EMI payment options can be made through Debit/Credit Cards.
-B