Garvi Gujarat tour: Railways to start Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train; Statue of Unity, Sabarmati Ashram among major attractions in itinerary

This special tourist train, operated by IRCTC, will depart on February 28 from Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway Station for an 8-day tour.

Boarding and deboarding facilities are provided at Gurugram, Rewari, Ringas, Phullera, and Ajmer Railway Stations for the convenience of tourists, according to the ministry.

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said this train tour package has been designed on the lines of the Centre’s “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” scheme, conceptualized on the life of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, India’s first home minister, and deputy prime minister, credited for his role in unifying the princely states with the Indian Union.

According to the ministry, the first stoppage of this train will be at Gujarat’s Kevadiya where tourists will visit the Statue of Unity—the world's tallest statue—erected as a tribute to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.

The entire train will cover a distance of approx. 3,500 km during the course of eight days journey.

Apart from the Statue of Unity, the other major tourist attractions included in the itinerary include--UNESCO world heritage site Champaner archaeological park, Adhlej Step Welland  Akshardham Temple at Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Ashram, Modhera Sun Temple and the Rani ki Vao another UNESCO site at Patan are the major heritage treasures included in the tour itinerary.

The tour also includes religious sites--Somnath Jyotirlinga, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Dwarkadheesh Temple, and Beyt Dwarka.

There will be a two-night stay in the hotels, one each at Kevadiya and Ahmedabad respectively, while the visit to places at Somnath and Dwarka will be covered in the day halt at the destination.

The state-of-art Deluxe AC Tourist Train has a host of astounding features including two fine dining restaurants, a modern kitchen, shower cubicles in coaches, sensor-based washroom functions, foot massager.

The fully air-conditioned train provides two types of accommodation--1st AC and 2nd AC.

The train has enhanced security features of CCTV cameras and Security Guards for each coach and is also equipped with an infotainment system for the entire train.

The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train launch is in line with the Centre’s flagship initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism, said the ministry.

At a price range starting from Rs. 52250/- per person in AC 2 Tier, Rs 67140 per person for AC 1 (Cabin) and Rs. 77400/- Per Person for AC 1 (Coupe) the IRCTC tourist train will be an 8 days all-inclusive tour package.

The ticket price will cover the train journey in respective class, night stay at AC hotels, All meals (VEG only), all transfers and sightseeing in buses, Travel Insurance and services of a guide, etc.

“All necessary health precautionary measures will be taken care of and IRCTC will make efforts to provide a safe and memorable experience to the guests,” the Railway Ministry said in a statement.

In order to make this package more attractive and affordable to a large population, IRCTC has tied up with payment gateways for providing EMI payment options for breaking the total payment into small amounts EMIs, it added.

More details about the tour package are available at the IRCTC website: https://www.irctctourism.com.

Bookings are available online, on a first come first serve basis on the web portal, the ministry said.