New Delhi: After running two Tejas Trains, IRCTC is going to flag off its third train that will run between Indore and Varanasi.The train has been named Kashi Mahakal Express and it is a complete AC coach train which will be running three days a week.It will be the first private train that will be doing an overnight journey as compared to both Tejas Express trains operated by the IRCTC return to their point of origin on the same day. The train inauguration has been scheduled on February 20, one day before the holy festival Shivratri.The coaches on the train will be having comfortable seats LED lights, CCTV cameras for the safety and security of the passengers and will also come with multiple mobile charging points.On 12 January the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced the run of private train on the Indore-Varanasi route.
What is the concept of private trains?
Under IRCTC the private trains, infrastructure, maintenance, operations, and safety are being handled by the Indian Railways. While private train operators take the coaches on lease and provide better services to passengers, in terms of food, comfort, entertainment, among others.In fact, the railways' move to let private companies run passenger trains has attracted many firms, including global majors Alstom Transport, Bombardier, Siemens AG, and Macquarie.
The Railway Minister Piyush Goyal also said that a special train will soon operate from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, which is famous for the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The train will be run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, the railway minister added.
The Indian Railways will be handling the infrastructure, maintenance, safety, and operations. Earlier, Railway board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said that while 150 private trains to be run is in the pipeline, till the modalities are worked out, the IRCTC will continue to operate them.
In fact, the railways' move to let private companies run passenger trains has attracted more than two dozen firms, including global majors Bombardier, Alstom Transport, Macquarie and Siemens AG.