Indian Railways to launch 'Gurudwara Circuit Train' for Sikh pilgrimage sites across India

The Indian Railways is planning to launch a circuit train dedicated towards Sikh Pilgrimage in the country. The train will be called “Gurudwara Circuit Train” for Sikh devotees to visit their pilgrimage sites. 

As per an ANI report, the Indian Railways is planning to run the train through Gurdwara Harminder Sahib in Amritsar to Gurdwara Damdama Sahib in Delhi to Gurdwara Huzur Sahib in Nanded to Gurdwara Patna Sahib in Patna.

Indian Railways to launch Gurudwara Circuit Train to promote Sikh Pilgrimage 

The pilgrimage is scheduled to take 11 days to complete. According to ANI, the train will have both AC and sleeper coaches. The Gurudwara Circuit Special train's fare and other details are being finalized and will be made accessible to the public soon. A pantry car will be constructed in the special circuit train, which will supply hot food throughout the tour. Furthermore, sources close to the Ministry of Railways told ANI that for the past few years, the Railways has been working on several projects targeted at educating the general public about the country's cultural and religious heritage. 

The special gesture by the Indian Railways, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and supervision of Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is being appreciated across all ends. Several Union Ministers, including Dharmendra Pradhan, Hardeep Singh Puri and Piyush Goyal appreciated the gesture and said that this was PM's special gift for the Sikh community.

Ramayana & Buddhist Circuit Tourist Express

Earlier Indian Railways had already embarked the trains dedicated to Ramayan and the life of Buddha and are called 'Ramayana Circuit' and the 'Buddhist Circuit'. The Ramayana Circuit train will run from Ayodhya to Rameswaram, embarking every place relevant to Ramayana, similarly, the Buddhist Circuit express will move from Delhi, covering relevant tourist spots like Nalanda, Sravasti, Varanasi and will end on Agra.

According to ANI sources, there may also be a plan to launch the 'Gandhi Circuit Special Train' shortly to raise awareness of Mahatma Gandhi's life and his philosophy. Based on sources, the railways are preparing 4000 to 5000 rail coaches, which will be leased to private operators under strict restrictions for a minimum of 5 years. During this time, the operator will be responsible for the upkeep of the railway coaches, while the Railways will be responsible for the operation's maintenance. Sources also reveal that roughly 50 operators have expressed interest in participating in the Railways' ambitious special circuit initiative.

Image: PTI