S. Anil Radhakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Government of India Enterprise, will flag off its special tourist train, ‘Bharat Darshan,’ on its maiden run from the State capital on August 28.
The train service will operate from Kerala to major tourist destinations in the country. The 12-day tour will cover Goa, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra and Hyderabad.
All the 485 Second Class III Tier seats in the train were sold out within days of opening the reservation. Other travellers will not be allowed to board the tourist train.
The key attraction of the tour package, which includes food and accommodation, is that one need pay only Rs.6,295. The IRCTC will provide dormitory accommodation to the travellers at the tourist destinations and make available luxury buses for sightseeing.
Those who need separate rooms will have to pay an additional Rs.400 at each destination.
Music and entertainment has been arranged in each compartment. The tourists can perform mimicry or render song and facilities have been made so that all tourists in the train can hear it. The pantry will serve only vegetarian food. There will be 60 personnel to take care of the pantry and supply food to the passengers.
T.K. Abdul Majeed, managing partner of Associated Travels, who is the general sales agent for Travel Times in Kerala, told TheHindu that trips to several other destinations would be offered.
Second package
The second tour package will begin on September 23. The journey from Erode will cover Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Ajantha, Ellora, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra and Sanchi. The tour package for a person will cost Rs.5,770.
The authorities will provide free transfer from Erode to Palakkad and back.
The IRCTC authorities have drawn up a seven-day tour package from Thiruvananthapuram to Goa and Hyderabad in November. The cost of the package will be Rs.3,500 for a person.
