The Indian Railway Catering Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is planning to run a train to Kashmir under its flagship ‘Bharat Darshan’ programme directly from the temple city. The idea is to promote Tirupati, currently a tourist destination, as an originating point for national tourism.
Itinerary
The special train by South Central Railway (SCR) will leave Renigunta around midnight of May 26 to reach Delhi in the early hours of May 28. After local sightseeing, the train will proceed to Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Katra station, from where tourists will be taken to Srinagar by bus.
“At Srinagar, the tourists will visit Mughal Gardens, Dal lake and Shikara boat ride. Gulmarg at a height of 2,370 km and Sonmarg, 83 km away in Sindh valley, are the other attractions,” announced IRCTC Joint General Manager N. Sanjeevaiah here on Wednesday. The tourists will be brought to Mata Vaishnodevi Katra station, from where they shall plan on their own to visit the shrine before departing, so as to reach Tirupati early on June 7.
Amenities
“At ₹19,215 per head for non-AC and ₹21,735 for AC three-tier coach, including food, accommodation on multi-sharing basis, tour escort, security on train and road transfers, this is the most economical package for a ten-night-eleven-day package,” said Mr. Sanjeevaiah. Passengers can entrain or detrain at any of the stations like Renigunta, Nellore, Ongole, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nalgonda, Secunderabad, Kazipet, Ramagundam and Nagpur.
Only 800 passengers can be accommodated on this train, which has 12 sleeper, one AC three-tier, one pantry and two guard coaches. Booking can be done at 0877-2222010 (Tirupati), 0866-2572280 (Vijayawada), 040-27702407 (Secunderabad zonal office) or the website www.irctctourism.com.
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