Kashi Mahakal Express, third corporate passenger train flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, will connect religious places of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
According to an official statement, the superfast fully air-conditioned passenger train, operated by the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will connect three Jyotirlingas - Omkareshwar (near Indore), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) and Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), besides connecting the industrial and educational hubs of Indore and Bhopal.
The train will operate thrice a week between Varanasi and Indore: once via Prayagraj (Allahabad) and twice via Lucknow.
The train will cover a total distance of 1,131 km between Varanasi and Indore via Lucknow and a distance of 1,102 km between Varanasi and Indore via Prayagraj (Allahabad) in approximately 19 hours.
The train is available for booking exclusively on the IRCTC website and its mobile app 'IRCTC Rail Connect.' There will be no booking at railway reservation counters.
The trains will have advance reservation period of 120 days. All passengers travelling on IRCTC trains will also be provided with a complimentary Rail Travel Insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh, said the statement.
IRCTC will also allow an automatic full refund of the train fare in case of cancellation of the train for both waitlisted as well as confirmed e-tickets.