Guwahati: Country’s first-ever Astha Tourist Pilgrimage Train rolled out of Kamakhya station on Friday with a train full of pilgrims bound for various popular religious destinations.
The train was flagged off by Railway Minster of State Rajen Gohain in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The first ever pilgrimage train has been introduced by the Railways in tune with the promised made in the Railway budget by Railway minister Suresh Prabhu to bring all important places of pilgrimage in the country on the railway map.
Flagging off the train, minister Rajen Gohain said that the Astha Tourist Pilgrimage train was the first of its kind in the entire country. He requested the Chief Minister of Assam and all the MLAs to work for popularisation of the train among the pilgrims from the state and the region so that they visit various places of pilgrimage at a very reasonable cost.
The “Astha Circuit Tourist Train” will take tourists to various popular religious destinations, covering Gangasagar, Sri Swamy Narayan Temple, Kalighat, Birla Temple, Sri Jagannath Temple, Konark Temple and Lingaraj Temple.
The duration of the tour from Kamakhya and back is six nights and seven days, at a very nominal cost of Rs 850 per person per day barring taxes. Per person cost for the entire trip is Rs 6,161 (all inclusive) including cost of breakfast, lunch, dinner, sleeper class accommodation and visit to various temples through local transport.
All on train services will be managed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. Based on demand and patronization, such pilgrim circuit trips would be taken up by North East Frontier Railway for the benefit of the common man.
