To commemorate 100 years of Sabarmati Ashram and Champaran Satyagrah, both closely linked with Mahatma Gandhi, the Railways will run a special train for tourists that will travel through cities of historical and religious importance. The train, “Gandhi Darshan”, will leave from here on June 17 and return on June 26 after a 10-day journey, an official of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said here.
Apart from connecting the two important places associated with Gandhiji, the train from Gujarat to Bihar would also take tourists to various religious places, said Deputy GM (Tourism), IRCTC, V N Shukla.
“June 17 marks 100 years of both Sabarmati Ashram in the city as well as of Champaran Satyagrah in Bihar. Thus, IRCTC has decided to run a train, officially called Astha Special Tourist Train or Gandhi Darshan Train, on June 17. It will be flagged off from Sabarmati station at 8 am,” he said.
“The train, having only non-AC sleeper coaches, has capacity to accommodate 840 passengers. The fare, which will be inclusive of all, has been kept at Rs 8,720 per person. It will start from June 17 and come back here on June 26,” he added.
The tourists will be taken to various places of historical as well as religious importance such as Wardha, Motihari, Gaya, Varanasi and Allahabad, said Shukla.
The IRCTC may think of operating the train on a regular basis if the inaugural run meets with desired success in terms of response from tourists, he added.