Book tickets for IRCTC Tourism 7-day trip to Haridwar, Rishikesh and Vaishno Devi
Indian Railways has launched a special train as part of its IRCTC Tourism, to Holy shrines of Haridwar, Rishikesh and Vaishno Devi. The 7-day, all-inclusive tour is open for booking. People interested in availing the facility can check details of the Astha Circuit Special Tourist Train in this article.
The IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corp.) a subsidiary of the Indian Railways is responsible for the smooth functioning of various sections of the Indian Railways. Its primary responsibilities include online bookings, catering and tourism. IRCTC tourism was introduced to make domestic tour packages convenient, comfortable and enjoyable for the traveller.
IRCTC offers various tour packages to different locations in India. Those interested can make a reservation to their chosen destination through a hassle-free online booking system. IRCTC has collaborated with tour operators, travel agents, car rentals and hotels to make the travel experience smooth and effortless.
The IRCTC has come a long way since it first launched tourism packages. Today it is a gateway for all your travel needs, right from info on domestic and international (selected) travel destinations, hotel bookings, restaurant selection and transportation. IRCTC tour packages
The organisation brings in a lot of revolutionary travel options. The introduction of tour packages to different locations in special tourist trains, is one of them. They include both long and short tourist packages – pan India holiday packages, pilgrimage tours and packages to places of interest, such as Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa and Agra etc. Travellers can expect the best of amenities on board these trains, comfort travel and good food etc. 
IRCTC is in the business of tourism and regularly introduces festive and seasonal tourism offers. There is always something new in the offing, from tours revolving cultural festivals, such as the dance festival at Konark to pilgrimage centred tours, like the one this article talks about. Bookings can be done on IRCTC's official website, it's all very simple and self-explanatory. You just pick a package of your choice from the drop-down menu. There'll be different choices listed – rail, air and land packages, select what you want and continue with the booking.Haridwar, Rishikesh and Vaishno Devi package - EZBD32
IRCTC has announced new packages for 2019 and the Astha Circuit Special Tourist Train, is one among them. The special tour train traverses through North India, covering major pilgrimage destinations. The seven days and six-night package will chug through Uttarakhand crossing Haridwar and Rishikesh and journey to Vaishno Devi in Katra, proceed to Jammu and Kashmir, before heading back.
Details of the package
Details of EZBD32 - Bharat Darshan Special Train Ex Barddhaman - Cost of the trip
The price of the package, per head, for the entire journey is Rs.6,300, inclusive of GST. The cost of the meals is included in the package. Detailed Itinerary
Boarding on 03 July 2019
stations04 July 2019 – First sightseeing halt
The train will reach Haridwar (HW) on the afternoon of 04 July 2019 and halt at the station. Tourists will be taken to the most important pilgrimage sights in Haridwar –04 July 2019 – Second day of pilgrimage
After spending the night at a comfortable lodging, travellers will proceed for sightseeing in the morning and visit the following places in Haridwar –
06 July 2019 – Third sightseeing halt
Tourists will board the train on 05th evening, at Haridwar and will travel at night, reaching Katra on the 06th morning. The next two days (06th and 07th) will be dedicated to visiting the shrine at Vasihno Devi.07 July 2019 – Return Journey
The train will depart from Shmata VD Katra (SVDK) on the evening of 07th and it will be an overnight journey.08 July 2019 – On board the train
The homeward journey will continue on the 08th. 09 July 2019 – Detrain
The train will halt at Patna and Kiul in the early hours of the 09th and passengers from the two places will deboard here. The train will proceed towards and reach Bhagalpur by mid-morning. Its next halt will be Dumka.
The train will continue its journey and reach Rampurhat in the afternoon after the passengers detrain the train will move towards Bolpur Shantiniketan and then to Barddhaman where the last of the passengers will detrain.
The timings mentioned in the itinerary are tentative. According to a railway circular, the final schedule will be intimated two days prior to departure.
Package inclusions
The Astha Circuit Special Tourist Train to three pilgrimage centres in North India is a reasonably priced, all-inclusive package, covering the cost of travel, food and stay.
As part of the tour package, passengers will be entitled to the following facilities –
For further details and information on other tour packages check the IRCTC website. For bookings log in here.