IRCTC to start Special Tourist train connecting Northeast with Goa; Passengers from Barak Valley can board from Badarpur

Travellers and vacation seekers of the Northeast have now got a reason to get excited. One of the most favourite holiday destinations in India, Goa is now going to get directly connected to the Northeast via railway. The Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has announced a brand new tourism train called ‘Pranbanto Goa’ which will now connect Agartala directly with Goa. On September 30, 2021, at 3 pm, the Pranbanto Goa Express will leave from the Agartala Railway Station and will reach Goa’s Madgaon Junction on October 4 at 10 in the morning. This is the first time ever that a special tourism train has been commissioned from the Northeast to Goa by the IRCTC.

This news was revealed at a press meet by the IRCTC Regional Manager (Guwahati) Madhav Saha, IRCTC Chief Supervisor (Tourism) Biswajit Das. They were also accompanied by Silchar Station Superintendent Biplab Das. In this tour of 11 nights and 12 days, there are several attractive packages for the passengers. Madhab Saha said IRCTC is running such a special tourist train keeping Northeast in mind. The passengers of Barak Valley will be able to board this train from Badarpur. In Goa, there will be a total of 3 nights and 4 days of the tour. Notably, everything is associated with this train ticket, and one does not have to worry about anything else after booking this ticket. The passengers will be able to experience everything starting from street food to lodging and sightseeing in Goa. The IRCTC will make all the necessary arrangements for the passengers’ convenience.

There are two types of packages on this train. One is a non-A/C Sleeper class, and the other is a three-tier A/C. The non-A/C sleeper class ticket would cost Rs 11,340 and the three-tier A/C ticket would cost Rs 18,900 only. Apart from Agartala and Badarpur, passengers will also be able to board trains from New Bongaigaon, New Alipurduar, New Koch Bihar, New Jalpaiguri and Malda town. However, tickets for this particular train will not be available at the station and will be exclusively available on the IRCTC website (www.irctctourism.com). In addition, tickets for this special train will also be available at the e-ticket agents of the IRCTC. The online ticket sales have already started.

Chief Supervisor Biswajit Das said that the passengers will be able to travel to all the special places in Goa if they buy tickets for this train. Those places are Dona Paula, Calangute, Bagha beach, Miramar Beach, Fort Aguada, Basilica of Bom Jesus, Sea Cathedral Church, Colva Beach, Mangeshi Temple, Shanta Durga Temple and Madgaon Market. Passengers on this special train will get vegetarian meals thrice a day. The passengers will be arranged in full compliance with the Covid protocols, each passenger will be provided with a separate kit. There will be a guide on the train, as well as a qualified doctor. In addition, every passenger will be insured, and there will be proper security measures for each coach.

This special train can carry up to 550 passengers and will run with the modern LHB model coaches. It will have five coaches in sleeper class and five A/C coaches. There will also be a pantry car as well. The Passengers who book a sleeper class ticket will stay at a dormitory in Goa. For A/C ticket passengers, there will be hotel rooms in Goa. However, if someone does not like that hotel room, then he/she can go to another hotel. IRCTC will also make this arrangement, but of course, the extra cost will have to be borne by the passenger only.

Since the pandemic is still on, if the Corona situation deteriorates in the country, the passengers will get a full refund if the train gets cancelled. Vaccination of passengers is very important for this tour, as those who have taken two doses of the vaccine have no problem. However, those who have not been vaccinated or have taken only one dose will have to comply with the SOP of Goa.

Biplab Das, Superintendent of the Silchar station, said that a special train called Rampath Jatra went to Ayodhya on February 23 earlier this year. That train carried 250 passengers from Silchar. So he hoped that this time IRCTC would also run a special tourist train from Silchar. Das is hopeful that the IRCTC will run such a special tourist train from Silchar in the future as well.