Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train for the Indian diaspora, which will run from New Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station. The train was launched on January 9 – a day that marks the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa to India in 1915.
The train will start its three-week journey from Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi, covering multiple destinations of touristic and religious importance in India, including Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra, for a period of three weeks. The Pravasi Bharatiya Express can accommodate 156 passengers.
Notably, this train service was launched under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana (PTDY) in association with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The train has been designed exclusively for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), who are in the age group of 45 and 65, with the objective to connect the diaspora with their cultural and spiritual roots.
Pravasi Bharatiya Express: All you need to know
- The Pravasi Bharatiya Express is a special state-of-the-art tourist train which has been designed for the Indian diaspora for the age group between 45 and 65 years.
- The express train will travel to multiple destinations across the nation, including prominent tourist and religious places, for a period of three weeks.
- The destinations of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express include Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra.
- The train will run for three weeks, covering key tourist and pilgrimage sites across India and the itinerary includes visits to Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra.
