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Special emphasis on railway tourism

Railway tourism, trains to pilgrimage centres in the south, more Palace-on-Wheels type of journeys and a steam safari in Orissa are on the anvil, according to the Railway Budget.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said a proposal to run a tourist train on the pilgrimage route of Secunderabad-Dharmavaram (Puttaparthy)-Tirupati-Guntur-Nadikude-Secunderabad circuit in Andhra Pradesh was being considered.

The Andhra Pradesh government has also proposed a Palace-on-Wheels type of train for which modalities are being worked out.

Similarly, the Karnataka government has suggested to jointly run a Palace-on-Wheels kind of train on the Bangalore-Hospet-Hubli-Goa-Managalore-Hasan-Mysore-Bangalore route, Ms Banerjee said.

"The Orissa government has sent a proposal for running a steam safari train on a route attractive for local tourism. Modalities in this regard are being worked out. Railways will welcome such proposals from any other state government."

She said a memorandum of understanding had been signed between the Railways and the Maharashtra government for a new Palace-on-Wheels type of train between Maharashtra and Goa touching several places of tourist interest.

The newly incorporated Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has taken up a few important tasks which are expected to facilitate tourism in a big way.

The Mata Vaishno Devi package launched in November, 2000 had become very popular with tourists, she noted.

Special tourist packages were being designed for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway which had been recognised as a World Heritage by UNESCO.

The infrastructure would be revamped and upgraded for this, the minister said.

While the Rail Museum in the southern region was due for completion shortly, new regional rail museums will be set up at Varanasi and Malda in the eastern region, she said.

UNI

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