South Star Rail operates between Coimbatore and Shirdi
“The objective of Bharat Gaurav Train services is to showcase our country’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world,” says Jose Charles Martin, MD of M&C Group. The group, under South Star Rail, its sister concern, runs a train service under the Bharath Gaurav scheme, from Coimbatore to Shirdi. The five-day round trip covers variousdestinations of interest. During the onward journey from Coimbatore, the train halts for five hours at Mantralayam Road Station, to facilitate darshan at Mantralayam temple. While the onward trip stoppages include Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Yelahanka, Dharmavaram, Mantralayam Road, Wadi, the return trip includes Wadi, Dharmavaram, Yelahanka, Salem, Erode and Tiruppur.
A journey to remember
The train, that has already completed five trips to Shirdi, now gears up to add new destinations including Sabarimala, Melmaruvathur and Velankanni. “The new trips will cover places like Samayapuram and Srirangam. For Sabarimala passengers, the train first halts at Thrissur. We arrange a bus to take them to Guruvayur for darshan and then continue the onward journey. Then, the train halts at Chengannur station from where passengers can take a bus to Pampa for darshan.”
The Bharat Gaurav Train from Coimbatore to Shirdi consists of 20 coaches with one 1A coach, three 2A coaches, eight 3A coaches, five SL coaches, one pantry car and two SLR coaches. “ We have a 30-member catering team, five bouncers, three TTRs, maintenance staff etc. An RJ on board plays devotional songs and mantras. We have paid attention to make the interiors look bright and cheerful. The 1A coaches have additional wooden flooring. Besides bedding sheets and dental kit, the food is served in degradable plates to cut down on plastic usage.”
Bharat Gaurav Train
| Photo Credit:
PERIASAMY M
In full capacity, the train can accommodate 1028 passengers. Besides food on board, services also include stays at various destinations and darshans at iconic temples.
“We have added new destinations to reach out to more people. The advantage of such spiritual journeys is that everyone on board has a single agenda and destination in mind,” says Jose adding that the association with Bharat Gaurav Train services is a matter of pride for them. While there have been enquiries from Tamil Sangams in Maharashtra and Hyderabad to extend services there, some corporates want to use the services to hold their meetings in places like Goa. Says Jose, “They can make use of the services when combined with spiritual destinations in and around Goa. We also have plans to add places like Kashi, Gaya, Siliguri, Rajasthan and Udaipur.”
Visit southstarrail.com or call the toll free number 18002102991
