Buddhist-circuit train to be flagged off on Mar 28

The railways are all set to run a Buddhist-circuit train, Mahaparinirvan Special, on March 28. The train, which will be flagged off from Delhi's Safdarjung Station, will reach Gaya the next day. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has finalised the itinerary and other details of the journey, said IRCTC managing director P K Goel. He said the IRCTC has decided to run the special train with a view to attract Buddhist pilgrims. Given the great rush of Buddhist pilgrims from other countries, the IRCTC is confident that the Mahaparinirvan Special will evoke good response and patronage from foreign tourists, he said. According to Goel, the fully air-conditioned train will have 18 berths in AC-I, 92 in AC-II and 256 in AC-III sleeper class. The IRCTC has fixed the fare at Rs 5,280 (AC-I), Rs 3,960 (AC-II) and Rs 3,520 (AC-III sleeper) respectively per day per passenger. The idea behind framing such a fare structure is to provide plush accommodation in hotels, better catering, meals, road transport by luxury buses and guides during their visits, he said adding the total number of days will be eight for the Buddhist circuit special journey. According to Patna-based IRCTC regional manager (RM) Rajesh Rana, the IRCTC is ready for the train's maiden journey to Bihar. The Buddhist pilgrims will be taken around famous temples of Bodh Gaya on the day of their arrival on March 29. The IRCTC has arranged for their night stay at a hotel in Bodh Gaya from where they will be taken to Rajgir and Nalanda by a luxury bus, he said adding that the corporation has kept the option open for many other tourists to join the trip even at Bodh Gaya. The IRCTC RM said the Buddhist tourists will be visiting Varanasi, Sarnath, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Lumbni in Nepal, Gonda, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri before returning to Delhi.