Special tourism train to explore beauty of Northeast

The special train named Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC will begin its 15-day-long sojourn from Safdarjung railway station in New Delhi on March 21

Indian Railways is ready with a "specially designed" tour to allow tourists in the rest of the country to explore the beauty of the country's Northeast.

The special train named Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC will begin its 15-day-long sojourn from Safdarjung railway station in New Delhi on Tuesday (March 21).

The tourists on the train can visit the historic Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, rhino-hub Kaziranga National Park, Sivasagar, the erstwhile capital of the Ahom Dynasty in Assam, the Unakoti archaeological site in Tripura, the WW-II memorials at Kohima in Nagaland and Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya, besides others.

Sabyasachi De, the Chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway said in a statement that the train will depart the Safdarjung station at 3.20pm and tourists can board and deboard at Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Tundla, Etawah, Kanpur and Lucknow station.

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"Spanning over 14 nights and 15 days, the first halt of this train will be at Guwahati on March 23, where tourists will visit the Kamakhya temple followed by Umananda Temple and a sunset cruise on the river Brahmaputra. This train will further depart on an overnight journey to reach Naharlagun railway station in Arunachal Pradesh on March 25." The tourists will be taken to Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, situated about 30km away.

The train will later depart for Sivasagar in eastern Assam, the erstwhile capital of Ahom Dynasty (1228-1826). "The famous Sivadol at Sivasagar is a part of the itinerary besides other heritage sites. Further the tea gardens at Jorhat and an overnight stay at Kaziranga followed by an early morning jungle safari at Kaziranga National Park will be experienced by the tourists," De said.

On March 27, the train will depart from Furkating railway station for sightseeing in Tripura. The famous heritage sites like Unakoti, famous Ujjayanta Palace, Neermahal Palace and Tripura Sundari temple, beside others will be part of the tour plan.

The train will depart for Dimapur in Nagaland on March 29. "From Dimapur station, the tourists will be taken to Nagaland capital Kohima by buses for visiting the local sites. Guwahati will be the final halt on April 1," De said.

The tourists will later be taken to Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya by road with a pit stop at the majestic Umiam lake enroute. Cherrapunji nestled in the East Khasi Hills. Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, Nawkhalikai falls and Mawsmai caves are a part of the day’s sightseeing. From Cherrapunji the tourists will travel back to Guwahati station to board the train for the return train journey on April 2 and the train will reach Delhi Safdarjung station on April 4 afternoon," De said.

The modern Deluxe AC Tourist Train has two fine dining restaurants and a kitchen. The train has enhanced security features like CCTV cameras, electronic safes and dedicated security guards appointed for each coach, he said.

The special tourist train is being run under the Centre's slogans, 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat and Dekho Apna Desh'.