VARANASI (Metro Rail News): PM Narendra Modi flags off the third private train operated by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation between parliamentary constituency Varanasi and Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Sunday afternoon. The new train Kashi Mahakal Express will connect three places which are — Jyotirlinga-Omkareshwar (near Indore in Madhya Pradesh), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh) along with Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh).
Modi flags off the third IRCTC operated train Kashi Mahakal Express by video conferencing from Varanasi, whereas he is all set to launch another 36 projects worth Rs 1,057 crores.
The Prime Minister is on a day visit to his parliamentary constituency. Earlier, the IRCTC has already launched two Tejas Express trains on New Delhi-Lucknow and Mumbai-Ahmedabad routes.
The Director of IRCTC, Rajani Hasija, told IANS a third private train will also connect industrial and educative hub of Indoor and Bhopal, the capital of MP. She stated the train will start their commercial run from February 20.
“The Kashi Mahakal Express will operate three days in a week and it will be a bi-weekly service through the Sultanpur-Lucknow route and a weekly service via the Prayagraj route,” said Hasija.
Developing on the two directions from which the train will cross every week, she said, “Once the new train starts its regular run from this week, the Varanasi-Indore Kashi Mahakal Express will depart from Varanasi at 2.45 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday to reach Indore at 9.40 a.m. on Wednesday and Friday.
So, the train will start from Indore at 10.55 am every Wednesday and Friday and will arrive Varanasi next morning at 06.00 am. This train will have stoppages at Ujjain, Sant Hirdaram Nagar, Bina, Jhansi, Kanpur and Sultanpur stations in both areas.
Meanwhile, Kashi Mahakal Express will be a weekly service through Prayagraj route.
She added, “Varanasi-Indore Kashi Mahakal Express will depart from Varanasi at 3.15 pm every Sunday to reach Indore at 9.40 am the next day. Indore-Varanasi Express will depart from Indore at 10.55 am every Monday and reach Varanasi at 5 am the next day.
“This train will halt at Ujjain, Sant Hirdaram Nagar, Bina, Jhansi, Kanpur and Allahabad stations in both directions,” she said.
While telling the fares of the Kashi Mahakal Express, Hasija said, “Kashi Mahakal Express will follow a dynamic fare structure like the other two Tejas Express trains.” A one-way journey from Varanasi to Indore in Kashi Mahakal Express will cost Rs 1,951 including of four meals.
As per the IRCTC officials, Indore-Varanasi Kashi Mahakal Express will be the first private train that will run overnight and for a comfortable long-distance journey, the train will feature a host of facilities. IRCTC will serve vegetarian food, housekeeping services, on-board security services and bedrolls. The IRCTC officials told that passengers will also get complimentary insurance of Rs 10 lakh.
It has an advance reservation period of 120 days and will only have the general and foreign tourist quotas. The current booking will be available to the passengers on the platform itself after making of the first chart, four hours to five minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.
