The launch date of Coimbatore – Shirdi train services, which will be operated by a private operator under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme of Indian Railways to promote tourism, is yet to be finalised by the Southern Railway.
Officials in the know of the developments said on Saturday that the launch was scheduled to be held in Coimbatore in May. The Southern Railway had announced in April that a registered service provider had made a security deposit of ₹1 crore for operating a ‘Bharat Gaurav’ train for circuit tour in the Coimbatore – Shirdi sector.
Due to issues pertaining to payment of the full amount and marketing the train service to the passengers, the launch date was not decided yet and would be announced officially soon, the officials said.
For the Coimbatore – Shirdi Bharat Gaurav train, the private operator would fix the ticket fares, while the Southern Railway would provide locopilots and ticket checking staff, the officials said. This train service was expected to comprise AC Two Tier Coaches and would only utilise unused coaches that had been earmarked for this scheme, the officials said, noting that the operation of existing train services would not be affected.
In November 2021, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme for the Indian Railways to tap into the potential of tourism, under which theme-based tourist circuit trains could be run either by private or State-owned operators. They could offer an all inclusive package to tourists including rail travel, accommodation and sightseeing arrangement and were allowed to decide the package cost.
