Railways to run 'Mahaparinirvan' train on Buddhist circuit

New Delhi, Oct 4 (UNI) Touted as a journey towards spiritual fulfillment, the Railways' special 'Mahaparinirvan Express' train for the Buddhist pilgrims from India and abroad will be flagged off from Safdarjung station here on Saturday.

The train, introduced by the Indian Railway Catering&Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), had made its its inaugural journey on March 28, taking visitors, particularly from China and the South Asian countries, on a package visit to Buddhist sites spread across the country.

The train covers the journey in eight days. The passengers are taken to Gaya, Rajgir-Nalanda, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Lumbani (Nepal), Gonda, Agra and back to Delhi.

The fare from October this year to March 2008 will be USD 150, 105 and 88 for 1st AC, 2nd AC and 3rd AC respectively per person per night on a twin sharing basis.

In other words, the total individual fair for seven days will be USD 1050, 735 and 616 respectively.

Tariff includes all the comforts of a Rajdhani Express train, including journey, onboard/offboard catering, house keeping, road transfer by AC vehicles, sightseeing, visit to holy places, hotel stay in AC rooms and entrance fee at monuments.

Indian passengers can pay the equivalent amount in Rupee, at the exchange rate prevalent at the time of payment.

The option of undertaking partial journey for a minimum duration of 3 nights is also available to the passengers.

UNI