Indian Railways: IRCTC to Run Special Gurukripa Train Covering Sikh Pilgrimage Sites

After special Bharat Gaurav trains to Hindu pilgrimage sites, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is set to run a special train service to places of significance for the Sikh community. The Gurukripa train will run from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow on April 5 and take pilgrims to gurdwaras and five Takhts in Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar. A senior Railway Board official said the IRCTC will run the Gururipa Yatra train which will take pilgrims to Gurudwaras in Sitapur, Pilibhit and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

After that its first halt will be in Shri Kesgarh Sahib and then it will go to Anandpur Sahib. From there, it will go via Shri Fatehgarh Sahib to Shri Akal Takht, Amritsar; Shri Damdama Sahib, Bathinda; Shri Hazur Sahib, Nanded-Maharashtra; Shri Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib, Bidar-Karnataka; and Patna Sahib in BIhar and will reach back to Lucknow on April 15.

The journey will be of 10 nights and 11 days. The capacity of the tourist train is 678. The Gurukripa train will have modern sleeper, AC-2 and AC-3 coaches. The fare for sleeper will be Rs 19,999 per passenger, while the AC-3 fare will be Rs 29,999, and AC-2 fare 39,999.

The train fare includes accommodation for the pilgrims in a good hotel, food, breakfast, bus transportation to and from the station, etc. In 2019, the Railways had run the Panch Takht Express for pilgrims to visit religious of significance for the Sikh community.

Recently, Indian Railways flagged off its Bharat Gaurav deluxe AC tourist train on a tour of the "Shri Ram-Janaki Yatra: Ayodhya to Janakpur", covering two significant pilgrimage centres of Ayodhya in India and Janakpur in Nepal. The tourist train is expected to strengthen the relations and promote the cultural relations between the two neighbouring countries. The tour package will also include visits to Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Kashi and Prayagraj as added attractions.

The state-of-the-art tourist train has a host of unique features, including two fine-dining restaurants, a modern kitchen, shower cubicles in the coaches, sensor-based washroom functions and a foot massager. 

The fully air-conditioned train provides two types of accommodation -- first AC and second AC. The train has enhanced security features of CCTV cameras and security guards for each coach and is also equipped with an infotainment system.