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The Bharat Gaurav train connecting important pilgrimage centres in the north with Karnataka will be launched by the end of August

Highlights:

• Approval has been given for the launch of the Bharath Gaurav train and Karnataka will be the first State in the country to launch the train.
• The tickets for the seven-day trip will be subsidised by the State government. The train has been taken on lease by giving a bank guarantee of ₹1 crore
• In a journey of over seven days, the train will cover Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj travelling a distance of 4,161 km.
• It will have 14 bogies, of which 11 will have AC 3 tier facility and one will be converted as a ‘temple’ to hold bhajans.
• The train will also be used to brand 11 top temples of the State with 11 bogies displaying details of the temples.
• The State government has tied up with IRCTC for logistics and other facilities, including food, water and local transport.
• While the cost of the seven-day trip is estimated to be ₹15,000 per person, the State government will reimburse ₹5,000.

The Bharat Gaurav train

• In a historical move, in November 2021 the Indian Railways allowed private players to run theme-based Bharat Gaurav trains to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and historical places to the people of India, and from abroad.
• The scheme will leverage the strengths of professionals in the tourism sector to run theme-based trains. The scheme is similar to IRCTC’s theme-based tourist trains like the Ramayana Express, which goes on a tour of several places connected to Lord Ram.

Why is the scheme significant?

• The Bharat Gaurav scheme is significant on two major counts — the first is it allows private players with domain knowledge in the tourism sector to run these special trains. This was hitherto taken care of by the IRCTC.
• The second is the Railways gets an incremental revenue from a new stream of business. This could pave way for more privatisation moves in running of both cargo and passenger trains.
• These trains will help realise India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world.

• They will also help in tapping the vast tourism potential of India.