Despite COVID-19 challenges, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is getting an overwhelming response to the Onam Special Bharat Darshan Train beginning August 15.

The budget Class 12-day package covers Goa, Statue of Unity, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra, and Hyderabad. The package is priced at ₹12,000 per person.

Officials said that around 35-40 bookings were done via online and through the tourist facilitation centre at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Coimbatore, and Madurai and the zonal office in Kochi. “Almost 650 out of the 700 seats have already been booked. In another couple of days, we will close the bookings,” an official said.

Right from the time the booking started on July 2, the IRCTC has been receiving 35 to 40 bookings daily. The majority of the passengers are from Kerala. The package is intended for the common man to travel in the sleeper class with accommodation in dharamshalas and dormitories on multi-sharing basis. Vegetarian food, mostly South Indian, is offered to the guests, he said.

Incidentally, the profile of the bookings showed that the passengers are from middle class and upper middle class, especially senior citizens and retired government officials. Non AC road transfer, tour escort, and security on the train are included in the package.

The boarding points are Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod while the deboarding points are Renigunta, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Podanur, Palakkad, Ottapalam, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirunelveli, and Madurai.

Previously, the Jewels of Madhya Pradesh Bharat Darshan Train, which was operated during the third week of February, had shown a massive response with over 650 tourists getting on board. The sightseeing places covered were Gwalior, Jhansi, Khajuraho, Sanchi, and Bhopal.

The Bharat Darshan Tourist train proposed during October would cover the famous pilgrim destinations such as Puri, Konark, Kolkata, Gaya,Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Allahabad, he said.