IRCTC to Launch ‘Shri Ramayana Yatra Train Tours’ to Promote Religious Tourism

To encourage religious tourism in India, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has planned a series of ‘Shri Ramayana Yatra Train Tours’ during the approaching festive season and a gradual resumption of domestic tourism after the current epidemic. For more information, scroll down.

What You Need to Know
An exclusive tour of the Life of Shri Rama will start on November 7, 2021, from Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway Station and cover places associated with the life of Lord Shri Rama. IRCTC plans the tourist train packages for its Pilgrim Special Tourist Trains and Deluxe Tourist Trains taking into account the budget and premium segments of the tourist market, according to a release. It also said it would conduct four other departures on the Ramayana Circuit throughout the coming months.

Tour schedule

• The IRCTC will operate Shri Ramayana Yatra ex-Madurai with its budget-segment train comprising Coaches in the Sleeper Class to meet the pilgrim tourist market of South India. The train will leave from Madurai with boarding points at Dindigul, Tiruchchirappalli, Karur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Chennai Central, Renigunta, Cuddapah and will cover Hampi, Nasik, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Varanasi and will return to Madurai. Shri Ramayana Yatra will begin from Madurai on November 16 for 12 nights / 13 days.
• Tourist trains of the Pilgrim Special tourist train will operate the Shri Ramayana Yatra ex- Sri Ganganagar starting November 25. This holiday trip will last 16 nights / 17 days and start from Sri Ganganagar.
• The train will depart from Sri Ganganagar with boarding and de-boarding points at Abohar- Malout, Bhatinda, Barnala, Patiala, Rajpura, Ambala Cantt., Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Delhi Cantt., Gurgaon, Rewari, Alwar, Jaipur, Agra Fort, Itawah and Kanpur will tour Ayodhya, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameswaram, Kanchipuram and will return to Sri Ganganagar.
• As an all-inclusive package for the religious tourism market of Western and Central India, IRCTC will operate the Shri Ram Path Yatra from Pune with its Pilgrim Special tourist train comprising Sleeper Class and AC 3 Tier coaches. There will be boarding and de-boarding points at Lonavala, Panvel, Kalyan, Nashik, Manmad, and Chalisgaon. Jalgaon and Bhusawal and will tour Ayodhya, Janakpur, Varanasi, Sitamarhi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot and finally return back to Pune.The 7 Nights / 8 Days Shri Ram Path Yatra ex will commence from Pune starting November 27.
• IRCTC will operate its Pilgrim Special tourist train offering an all-inclusive tour package as part of the Shri Ram Path Yatra originating from Sabarmati. The train will leave from Sabarmati with boarding and de-boarding points at Nadiad, Anand, Vadodra, Godhara, Dahod, Ratlam, Nagda, Ujjain and will cover Ayodhya, Janakpur, Varanasi, Sitamarhi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot and finally return to Sabarmati. Starting December 25, the 7 Nights / 8 Days Shri Ram Path Yatra will depart from Sabarmati.

And what’s more?
The packages offered by the IRCTC feature amenities of the standard and comfort categories. Standard category packages on Sleeper Class are priced at 900/- plus taxes per person per day, while comfort category packages on AC 3-Tier are priced at 1500/- plus taxes per passenger per day. As well as this, IRCTC is already operating Shri Ramayana Yatra with its new fully air-conditioned deluxe tourist train from New Delhi for the premium segment of tourists. The tour will commence from 7th November and end on 23rd November 2021.

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A full train has already been reserved on the market for the tour package. The IRCTC will launch more Shri Ramayana Yatra packages in the near future with deluxe trains, according to the press release. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, the company has planned the train tour packages in accordance with all health protocols to ensure the safety of the passengers. Due to increasing demand for packages such as the Ramayana Circuit train tour, the IRCTC announced the operation of more such trains in the future.

With the increasing demand for the Ramayana Circuit train tour package, the IRCTC plans to operate more Shri Ramayana Yatra trains in the near future. ‘Customers can book packages of all upcoming train tours of the Shri Ramayana Yatra through the tourism portal www.irctctourism.com, as well as approach the Tourism Facilitation Centres set up by IRCTC at major railway stations to book the packages,’ the statement said.