Indian Railways: IRCTC announces North East's first Bharat Gaurav train

The Indian Railways (IRCTC) has introduced the Bharat Gaurav Deluxe Tourist Train, which is set to depart from the New Delhi Safdarjung railway station on March 21, the official said on Saturday. 

According to the official statement from the Ministry of Railway, the train will complete a North East Circuit covering Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya for 15 days. The theme for the North East circuit is "North East Discovery: Beyond Guwahati".

The train tour will start from Delhi Safdarjung railway station on March 21, 2023, and will cover Guwahati, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Kaziranga in Assam, Unakoti, Agartala and Udaipur in Tripura, Dimapur and Kohima in Nagaland and Shillong and Cherapunji in Meghalaya in 15 days tour.

The Indian Railways launched the Bharat Gaurav scheme in 2021 to provide a fillip to Indian tourism and attract tourists from all over the world.

The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train launch is in line with the Government of India initiatives "Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat" and "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote domestic tourism.Boarding and de-boarding will be allowed from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Tundla, Itawah, Kanpur, Lucknow and Varanasi.

The Deluxe AC trains can accommodate a total of 156 tourists and are air-conditioned with AC 1 and AC 2 tiers.Spanning over 14 nights and 15 days, 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 modern Deluxe AC Tourist Train has a host of various features 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 fully air-conditioned train provides two types of accommodation viz. AC I and AC II. 

The train has enhanced security features like CCTV cameras, electronic safes and dedicated security guards appointed for each coach.

The ticket price range starts from Rs 1,06,990 per person in AC 2 Tier, Rs 1,31,990 per person for AC 1 cabins, and Rs 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.

Tourists can also avail of an EMI payment option for the trip, as IRCTC has partnered up with PayTm and Razorpay payment gateways.