The ‘Ramayana circuit’, covering locations associated with the Hindu epic, is turning into a new mode for revenue of Indian Railways, which is launching three more Ramayana Express trains from different parts of the country after getting a good response for the first one starting on November 14 from Delhi to Chennai, according to officials familiar with the development.
The officials said that while special tourist trains usually have an occupancy of 50-60%, seats for the inaugural ride of the Ramayana Express were sold out within 15 days after the train was announced on July 7.
The IRCTC is now launching similar trains from Rajkot, Jaipur and Madurai. All four trains will cover Ayodhya, which, according to the epic, is the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram. They will also go to other locations named in the epic, such as Hanuman Garhi, Ramkot and the Kanak Bhawan temple.
The trains will make stops at Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag, Shringaverpur, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameshwaram, or the nearest railway stations to these locations. The railways will facilitate trips by road from the station to the pilgrimage sites.
Read more of this in a report published in Hindustan Times...
