Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted a video on Tuesday during the launch of the first train under the “Bharat Gaurav” initiative.

The train will be operated between Coimbatore and Shirdi by a private operator. “With this, Southern Railway becomes the first area of ​​Indian Railways to get the first service provider registered under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme and commence operations of the first service from Coimbatore North to Sainagar Shirdi. 1,100 passengers boarded the first round trip service from Coimbatore to Shirdi,” read a government statement.

In a tweet, Vaishnav tweeted a video and wrote, “Opportunities for entrepreneurs to explore theme tourism: First ‘Bharat Gaurav’ departs from Coimbatore to Shirdi.”

“3.5 lakh recruitments in Indian Railways between 2014-22 with more than 43,000 on average per year. About 1.5 lakh additional new recruitments are going on at a steady pace. (sic),” a he explained in another message.

Read also : Fresh violence in Bengal districts over remarks on Prophet and mob damage train

Under the “Bharat Gaurav” program, service providers will offer an all-inclusive package to tourists, including train travel, hotel accommodation, sightseeing arrangements, visiting historical or heritage sites and tourist guides. According to the Ministry of Railways, the train left Coimbatore North at 6 p.m. Tuesday and is expected to reach Sai Nagar in Shirdi at 7:25 a.m. Thursday. The train will then stop for a day, after which it will resume its journey from Shirdi on Friday and reach Coimbatore North at 12 noon on Saturday.

The train will stop at Tirupur, Erode, Salem Jolarpet, Bangaluru Yelahanka, Dharmavara, Mantralayam Road (5 hour stop) and Wadi before reaching Shirdi. “The train will cover several historical destinations on the route while giving passengers a glimpse of the country’s cultural heritage,” the tourism ministry said. The Ministry of Railways said the train is to “present India’s rich cultural heritage and its magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world.

Read also : Railway line doubled to reduce CSMT-Karjat journey by 30 minutes

Fares for the journey, according to the government, are comparable to regular train ticket fares charged by Indian Railways. The ticket also offers an exclusive VIP “darshan” at the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. Maintenance of the train will be carried out by housekeeping service providers who will clean the utility areas at regular intervals. The train will have a train captain, a doctor, private security personnel and a railway police force on board. Apparently, the caterers are also experienced in preparing traditional vegetarian dishes.