IRCTC to start chartered rail tours from NE

"Under this scheme, special coaches would be attached to regular trains from Guwahati. The package would include fare for rail and hotel, food and sight-seeing, as a one-stop solution," Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) regional manager Kaushik Banerjee told reporters here.

He said the first tour, a Durga Puja special, would start from Guwahati on October 19 in the Kanchanjunga Express. It would be a five night/six days package to Kolkata and cost Rs 8,149 per person on twin sharing basis.

This would be followed by a 'Spiritual Odisha' tour which will start on November 22, followed by 'Royal Rajasthan' on December 6 and a tour of 'Delhi-Agra-Jaipur Golden Triangle' from December 29.

"Each tour would have a capacity of 65-68 and we are positive about 100 per cent booking. From 2013, we plan to further diversify it and cover more parts of the country," Banerjee said.

Besides discounts for those who book early, the IRCTC chartered tours would include insurance cover without any additional cost, he said.

Banerjee said IRCTC is also planning to conduct around 35-37 package tours for students from Assam to New Delhi and Agra in the next couple of years.

"We have already conducted three such tours for students of Assam under a tie-up with the state government under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. Now we plan to take another 2,600 students in next year or two," he said.