Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Indian Railways To Launch 'Aastha Special' Trains To Facilitate Pilgrims' Travel To Ayodhya From 66 Locations

Indian Railways has firmed up plans to launch train services from 66 places across the country as 'Aastha Specials,' for bringing thousands of pilgrims to Ayodhya after the inauguration of the Ram temple.

Branded as a ‘socio-cultural’ product, ticket bookings for Aastha Special trains are being done by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the Railways' ticketing wing.

According to the Railways, currently, 66 rakes with 22 coaches each will be pressed into service from all over the country and later more rakes will be added depending upon the demand.  

The railways had, by the end of December 2023, brought out the policy for Aastha Specials.

According to the circular issued by the Railways, the tickets will be booked for round trips, which means the trains will run to and fro for passengers.

In a cautious approach, the Railways has decided to not feed the train’s particulars in its passenger reservation system due to security reasons.

These trains will be run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which will sell the tickets through its tourism portal only, the circular says.

The policy says passenger particulars, including the Aadhaar number, address, and contact details of a family member in case of emergency, will be in the passenger manifest, as provided by the ’organisers.‘ One bay of six berths in every third coach is to be earmarked for onboard services, including free meals for the passengers.

The Aastha Specials will run from various parts of the country to places of ’socio-cultural‘ importance. From Delhi, there would be four stations - New Delhi, Old Delhi, Nizamuddin, and Anand Vihar - from where Aastha Specials will be launched.

Places like Agartala, Tinsukia, Barmer, Katra, Jammu, Nashik, Dehradun, Bhadrak, Khurda Road, Kottayam, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, and Kazipet will also have Aastha Service.

There would be nine stations from Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Salem, Madurai where Aastha Special trains would be available for Ayodhya visit.

In Maharashtra, Aastha Specials will be pressed into service from seven stations including Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Wardha Jalna, and Nashik among others.

The trains will be run on an experimental basis for a year, the policy notification says. However, sources said the whole thing was devised to facilitate the first aid movement of pilgrims to Ayodhya.

These trains are expected to run for the next 100 days from 22 January as the Railways is expecting a steady rush of devotees to the new [Ram] temple.

More stations and more trains would be added depending on the demand, said a senior railway official.

The railways will provide onboard housekeeping staff and a Railway Protection Force escorting party. IRCTC will depute an onboard tour manager to help passengers with seating and other requirements.

There are a total of five stations in and around Ayodhya so all trains would not go to Ayodhya.

The redeveloped and rechristened Ayodhya Dham junction has been decked up to host the pilgrim rush with a separate approach road, hundreds of toilets, passenger-holding areas, and other amenities. The station is around a kilometre away from the Ram temple that is up for a grand inauguration on 22 January.