New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said that the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train will provide an opportunity to people from all parts of the country to explore the architectural, cultural and historical marvels of the country.

New Delhi [India], June 15 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP TR Baalu on Wednesday objected to the use of "private players" in the operation of the "Bharat Gaurav" train which was flagged off yesterday between Coimbatore and Shirdi Sainagar and urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to withdraw the privatised operation.

Kolkata Nov 28 PTI The Eastern Railway is geared up to introduce leasing of rakes and coaches to the travel and tourism sector under the Bharat Gaurav scheme for showcasing Indias rich cultural heritage its general manager Arun Arora said Asserting that it is not a privatisation of the Railways he said that it will facilitate a comprehensive tour package for tourists in getting a hassle-free single window experience This landmark initiative of Indian Railways aims to showcase the countrys rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people Arora said on Saturday Stating that the Eastern Railway has finalised plans to provide support to the private operators Arora said that the ER will provide support for developing itineraries operation of rakes maintenance and punctuality He said that service providers will be at liberty to offer packages to tourists that include rail travel accommodation and sightseeing The operators will have right to use for a minimum of two years and maximum up to the codal life of coaches he said adding that new coaches can also be procured by them The service providers enjoy full flexibility to decide on tour package and cost Arora said Designing and furnishing interiors of trains by the operators are allowed subject to safety standards of the railways he said adding that branding and advertisements are permitted both inside and outside those trains Under the Bharat Gaurav policy announced by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for theme based tourist circuit trains professional tour operators will have the scope of running the tourist trains wherein they can lease rakes of 14 to 20 coaches which include 1AC 2AC 3AC Sleeper and chair cars an ER official said Public sector IRCTC already runs such theme based tourist circuit trains PTI AMR RG RG

New Delhi Nov 23 PTI Private players can now run theme-based tourist circuit trains by leasing them from the railways with the freedom to fix fares and amenities under a new service Bharat Gaurav which was launched by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday The railways has allocated around 190 trains for these theme-based circuits described as the third segment in services offered by the national transporter after the freight and passenger segments These are not regular trains that will be run on timetables We have identified 3033 coaches or 190 trains for these theme-based trains After passenger and goods segments we will start the tourism segment to run Bharat Gaurav trains These trains will showcase Indias culture and heritage We have invited applications for them from today As of now ICF coaches have been earmarked for the Bharat Gaurav scheme But in the future even Vande Bharat Vista Dome and LHB coaches can be included based on demand he said He said that anyone from individuals to societies trusts consortia tour operators and even state governments can apply to take these trains and run them on special tourism circuits based on a theme The minister said that state governments like Odisha Rajasthan Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have shown interest in these trains The IRCTC is already running the Ramayana train circuit and plans are underway to start the gurdwara train circuit connecting prominent gurdwaras across the country These trains will be called Gurukripa More such trains are expected to hit the tracks soon officials said Vaishnaw further added that the core strength of the professionals of tourism sector would be leveraged to develop and identify tourist circuits and run theme-based trains to tap the vast tourism potential of India The idea the minister said originated from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who suggested theme-based trains so that people in the country can understand appreciate and take forward Indias heritage The highlight of these trains will be that the service provider will offer all-inclusive package to tourists including rail travel hotel accommodation sightseeing arrangement visit to historical or heritage sites tour guides the railways said adding that they will also have full flexibility to decide package cost based on the level of services being offered However the minister stated that the railways will ensure that there is no abnormality in the prices Stakeholders will modify and run the train and the railways will help in maintenance parking and other facilities the minister said He said that the service provider will also have a choice of coaches suiting the clientele and different segments like luxury and budget can be availed the officials said They are also free to design and furnish interior of the coaches based on the theme Branding and advertisement is permitted both inside and outside of the trains and the train composition will be of 14 to 20 coaches including guard vans According to a press statement issued by the national transporter the process of applying for these trains will be through a one-step transparent online registration process with a fee of Rs one lakh The allotment of coaches to all eligible applicants will be subject to availability and priority will be based on the rake security deposit time and date The security deposit will be of Rs one crore per rake and the right to use would be between two to ten years Customer support units will be made functional in the field for hand-holding the service provider and for smooth implementation of this scheme PTI ASG AAR

After freight and passenger segments, the railways is set to begin a third segment dedicated to the tourism sector and launch a set of around 190 theme-based trains called Bharat Gaurav trains, minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, the railways minister said these trains could be run both by the private […]

New Delhi Nov 23 PTI Private players can now run theme-based tourist circuit trains by leasing them from the railways with the freedom to fix fares and amenities under a new service Bharat Gaurav which was launched by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday The railways has allocated around 190 trains for these theme-based circuits described as the third segment in services offered by the national transporter after the freight and passenger segments These are not regular trains that will be run on timetables We have identified 3033 coaches or 190 trains for these theme-based trains After passenger and goods segments we will start the tourism segment to run Bharat Gaurav trains These trains will showcase Indias culture and heritage We have invited applications for them from today As of now ICF coaches have been earmarked for the Bharat Gaurav scheme But in the future even Vande Bharat Vista Dome and LHB coaches can be included based on demand he said He said that anyone from individuals to societies trusts consortia tour operators and even state governments can apply to take these trains and run them on special tourism circuits based on a theme The minister said that state governments like Odisha Rajasthan Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have shown interest in these trains He further added that the core strength of the professionals of tourism sector would be leveraged to develop and identify tourist circuits and run theme-based trains to tap the vast tourism potential of India The idea the minister said originated from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who suggested theme-based trains so that people in the country can understand appreciate and take forward Indias heritage The highlight of these trains will be that the service provider will offer all-inclusive package to tourists including rail travel hotel accommodation sightseeing arrangement visit to historical or heritage sites tour guides the railways said adding that they will also have full flexibility to decide package cost based on the level of services being offered However the minister stated that the railways will ensure that there is no abnormality in the prices Stakeholders will modify and run the train and the railways will help in maintenance parking and other facilities the minister said He said that the service provider will also have a choice of coaches suiting the clientele and different segments like luxury and budget can be availed officials said They are also free to design and furnish interior of the coaches based on the theme Branding and advertisement is permitted both inside and outside of the trains and the train composition will be of 14 to 20 coaches including guard vans According to a press statement issued by the national transporter the process of applying for these trains will be through a one-step transparent online registration process with a fee of Rs one lakh The allotment of coaches to all eligible applicants will be subject to availability and priority will be based on the rake security deposit time and date The security deposit will be of Rs one crore per rake and the right to use would be between two to ten years Customer support units will be made functional in the field for hand-holding the service provider and for smooth implementation of this scheme PTI ASG AAR