Buddhist special train to run from March 28

New Delhi, Mar 8: A fully air-conditioned train, equipped with on-board/off-board catering and house keeping arrangements, road transfer by AC vehicles, sightseeing and visit to holy places, will run as 'Maha Parinirvan Special' from March 28, covering important Buddhist places.

In a written reply today in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways R Velu said the train would cover Lumbini, Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Kushinagar, Nalanda, Sravasti and also the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri in Agra.

Indian Railway Tourism&Catering Corporation (IRCTC) has planned to run 11 trips during this year and another six in 2008 up to March (depending on its reception) with each trip having a duration of 8 days.

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

For its successful run, IRCTC has made all-out efforts for marketing, wide publicity and enquiry redressel system.

UNI