E-Paper
More seats for NRIs, tourists in trains
The Indian Railways will roll out the red carpet for foreign tourists and non-resident Indians during the Commonwealth Games.
The Indian Railways will roll out the red carpet for foreign tourists and non-resident Indians during the Commonwealth Games.
On trains like selective Shatabdis, Rajdhanis and express trains, the number of berths reserved for foreigners and NRI tourists will be extended, the railways said.
The International Tourists Bureau, which acts as Indian Railways' arm to connect to the foreign tourists, will go the
extra mile.
"The counters of the International Tourist Bureau will be opened for more hours and we will also have extra counters," said a Northern Railway spokesperson.
Expecting a huge rush of foreign tourists, the railways have decided to also run some special trains on certain popular routes such as Agra, Jaipur, Kerala, Dehradun, Amritsar and more, in which the foreign tourist quota will be more than normal.
"Usually, certain trains have up to 10 berths reserved for foreign tourists as a convenience to the tourists. Now the number will be slightly higher," said an official.
The International Tourist Bureau office at the New Delhi railway station is being remodeled to look swankier, more spacious and passenger friendly.
The foreigners and NRIs can also obtain 'Indrail' pass apart from reserved tickets in Indian Rupees at these counters against the encashment certificate and can travel whenever and in whichever train they like but within the validity period of the pass.
Northern Railway is also training its staff to be friendlier and be better guides to tourists, especially foreigners, who have limited knowledge of the city and the places to visit.
