GUWAHATI, April 2 � The railways could not originally have this in mind, but scores of pilgrims in Northeast India stand to benefit from the development. Several new trains now provide convenient connections to ancient sites of pilgrimages.
Two trains connect Guwahati with Jammu, the staging post for travelling to the famed Vaishno Devi temple. The trains have proved popular with pilgrims as they no longer have to change trains in New Delhi or other stations.
For the Sikh faithful and thousands more who venerate the Golden Temple, there is a direct train to Amritsar. Coming from Dibrugarh and traversing Guwahati, the train takes 62 hours to reach its destination. This train has become popular among businessmen travelling to Punjab, and some armed forces personnel travelling between home and their posts in the Northeast. Pranjit Das, a rail traveller, however felt that the train should run more frequently. He said that the train's frequency should be at least three times a week and not once every week.
The newly-built Kamakhya station has also established new connections to the holy sites of Puri and Gaya. According to sources in the NF Railway, both the trains have met with favourable response from the public.
Significantly, several trains also make stoppages at Varanasi, another place attracting pilgrims and tourists in large numbers due to the presence of several sacred and historic places.
