New Delhi : Indian Railways have issued the ‘Bharat Gaurav Trains’ policy on 23.11.2021 with an objective to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places through theme based tourist circuit trains. The salient features of this policy are as follows:
● Registration and placement of rake request by service providers in online portal.
● Rake security deposit of ₹ 1 Crore per rake.
● Individuals, Partnership firm, company, Society, Trust, Joint ventures and consortium are eligible.
● A rake comprising a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 20 coaches.
● Applicable charges viz. Right to Use charges, Haulage charges, stabling charges notified and to be paid by service provider.
● Theme based refurbishments/minor modifications permitted.
● Indian Railways to retain ownership of the coaches and provide operational assistance including coach maintenance and stabling facilities.
● Service provider to have full freedom to decide itinerary, themes, package cost.
● Service provider to offer a comprehensive package with facility of rail transportation, accommodation, meals, local road transport, sightseeing etc.
● Branding and advertisement rights are permitted.
No fund is envisaged to be allocated for Bharat Gaurav Trains scheme as this is based on revenue generating model.
As per this policy, service providers have full flexibility to decide the themes/itineraries for operation of Bharat Gaurav trains. Running of Bharat Gaurav Trains by service providers over Indian Railways including the State of Tamil Nadu is a continuous process and any additional trips would depend on the market demand and commercial viability.
In the Financial Year 2022-23 (upto 30.11.2022), total 10 trips of Bharat Gaurav Trains have been operated from the State of Tamil Nadu through various service providers.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
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