Train to cover Buddhist sites

Here is some good news for those who want to experience the Buddha magic. Indian Railways, together with Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), will launch a special 'Mahaparinirvan Express' on January 12, 2007, to cover historical sites associated with Lord Buddha. The train is being launched as part of the railways' plan to run trains on religious circuits in collaboration with tour operators. IRCTC has appointed general sales agents (GSAs) on 17 locations for the packages.

The first half of the journey will start from Chennai on January 12, 2007, and will end on January 26, 2007. The train will pass through Guntur, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Agra, Delhi, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Gaya, Bhubaneshwar and back to Chennai in 15 days.

The tour will cover important locations of Buddhist pilgrims including one in Nepal (Lumbini). The train will have 18 berths of AC I, 92 berths of AC II, and 256 berths of AC III tier.

The fare structure for the trips are $120 per person per day for AC I tier, $90 per person per day for AC II tier, and $80 per person per day for AC III tier coaches. Indian passengers will have to pay the same fare in Indian currency. The tourists will also have the option of availing part of the journey(minimum of seven days in continuity).

The services included in the package are on board/offboard catering and house keeping(in the line of services offered in Rajdhani Express trains), road transport by luxury coaches, sightseeing, hotel accommodation (including meals) and entry tickets to all locations.