Indian Railways to launch Bharat Gaurav Train to Northeast on March 21

Guwahati, March 5: In an effort to boost tourism and attract tourists from all over the world, the Indian Railways will launch Bharat Gaurav Train to North East on March 21, 2023.

The AC deluxe Bharat Gaurav train will cover Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya in 15 days, said the Indian Railways.

According to the official statement from the Ministry of Railway, the train tour will start from Delhi's Safdarjung railway station on March 21, and will cover Guwahati, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Kaziranga in Assam, Unakoti, Agartala and Udaipur in Tripura, Dimapur and Kohima in Nagaland and Shillong and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya during the 15-day tour.

The theme for the North East circuit is "North East Discovery: Beyond Guwahati".

The Bharat Gaurav scheme was launched in 2021 in line with the with the Government of India initiatives "Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat" and "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote domestic tourism.

The train will have several other facilities including two fine dining restaurants, a contemporary kitchen, shower cubicles in coaches, sensor-based washroom functions, a foot massager and a mini library, the official statement said.

The Deluxe AC trains can accommodate a total of 156 tourists and are air-conditioned with AC 1 and AC 2 tiers.

Passengers will also get an opportunity to explore local places, as the first stop of this train is Guwahati where tourists will visit Kamakhya Temple followed by Umananda Temple and a sunset cruise on the Brahmaputra.

This train will further depart on the overnight journey for Naharlagun Railway Station which is 30 kms from the next destination Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. The next city to follow is Sivasagar - the old capital of the Ahom Kingdom in the Eastern part of Assam.

The statement further added, the ticket price range starts from ₹1,06,990 per person in AC 2 Tier, ₹1,31,990 per person for AC 1 cabins, and ₹1,49,290 per Person for AC 1 coupe. The ticket includes train journeys, hotel stays, all vegetarian meals, transfer costs and sightseeing in respective cities, and travel insurance, among other costs.

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 option for breaking the total payment in small amount EMIs.