After many years of resistance, India has finally got its first private train, under the Bharat Gaurav scheme. The train known as South Star Rail was inaugurated in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. This train will reach Sainagar, Shirdi in Maharashtra in its maiden journey.
Apart from the fares and rules, the train will be completely managed by the private company without the intervention of the Ministry of Railways. These trains will have separate cleaning and handling staff to look after the passengers.
Due to this, the Southern Railway got the distinction of running the first private train out of all the 16 railway zones of the country. All this became possible under the “Bharat Gaurav” scheme of the Government of India.
“Promoting India’s rich cultural heritage” Ministry of Railways on its Twitter handle tweeted some pictures announcing the maiden voyage of this train. It tweeted, “Southern Railway has become the first zone to get its first registered service provider under ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme and has started operating the first service from Coimbatore North to Sainagar Shirdi (sic).”
According to an official release from PIB, the rates are at par with the regular train ticket rates charged by the Indian Railways and Shirdi offers special VIP darshan at the Sai Baba Temple.
Under the Bharat Gaurav scheme, which was launched by the Indian Railways in November 2021, trains were to be built according to a theme based on their destination, aiming to create an Indian ambience keeping in mind the culture of the place.
Due to which tourists coming from India and abroad will get to witness the rich cultural heritage and historical sites of India. According to the Bharat Gaurav scheme of the central government, private companies can hire from the Indian Railways for two years to develop such trains.
