GUWAHATI, Jan 16 - Aastha Circuit Tourist Train, a dedicated train for pilgrimage, connecting various religious destinations, will roll out from the Kamakhya Station here on February 17.
Pilgrims and tourists will be able to see the Sri Swami Narayan Temple, Kalighat, Birla Temple, Jagannath Temple, Konark Temple and Lingraj Temple availing the pocket-friendly package offered during the six-night-seven-day journey of the train.
According to Debasis Chandra, Group General Manager, IRCTC (East Zone), it is a very unique concept, as for the first time for this region the IRCTC is incorporating some more religious destinations in Assam and the North East in the Aastha religious tourist circuit in the near future.
The train, with an all-inclusive package of Rs 6161, covering expenses pertaining to the journey, accommodation and food, would cover places like Ganga Sagar, Kolkata, Puri and Bhubaneswar. Tourists will have to book for the trip online through the IRCTC website or through registered e-ticket agents or from any office of IRCTC.
�The Guwahati-to-Guwahati tour would be organised in seven days at a very nominal cost of Rs 850 per person per day and applicable taxes. The trip will start from Guwahati on February 17 and would culminate in Guwahati on February 23, � he added.
The tourist train will have various boarding stations en route, including Kamakhya, Alipurduar, New Cooch Behar, New Jalpaiguri, Malda, New Farakka, Pakur, Rampurhat and Bolpur.
With a total capacity of 630 passengers, the train will have 12 coaches, nine of which would be dedicated to the passengers availing tour packages.
The services will include all train travel by the special tourist train in sleeper class, all meals throughout the tour, accommodation in dormitories or dharamshalas, non-airconditioned tourist buses for visiting places of interest, security guards on board on every coach, IRCTC officer as train superintendent along with on-board public address system for announcements. Vegetarian meals would be offered to the pilgrims during the trip.
The IRCTC official further stated that tourist trains with similar packages would also be planned from other parts of the country towards Assam and nearby areas, giving a boost to the inbound tourism of Assam. Upon seeing the response, the second trip of the Aastha Circuit Tourist Train would be launched again from Guwahati or some nearby area.