PM Modi inaugurates third IRCTC train 'Kashi Mahakal Express' from Varanasi; here's all you need to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off IRCTC's third private train, the Kashi Mahakal Express, which will connect places related to three jyotirlingas-Omkareshwar near Indore, Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain, and Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi. The inaugural run of the train was flagged off from Varanasi by PM Modi through video link.

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has already launched two Tejas Express trains on New Delhi-Lucknow and Mumbai-Ahmedabad routes.

The third corporate passenger train, Kashi Mahakal Express, connecting religious places of the state of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, will start commercial run from 20 February 2020 onwards.

Ministry of Railways said that Kashi Mahakal Express will be the first passenger train of its kind which promises to be a full service overnight journey train with high levels of on-board services complemented with exclusive optional tour packages for passengers covering the religious, business as well as tourism sites of the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Also Read: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Rs 1,200 crore development projects in Varanasi

Route of Kashi Mahakal Express

The superfast fully air-conditioned passenger train will also connect the industrial and educational hub of Indore and Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh. The train will operate thrice a week between Varanasi and Indore: once via Prayagraj (Allahabad) and twice via Lucknow. The route of the train will be via Sultanpur - Lucknow/Prayagraj - Kanpur - Jhansi -  Bina - Sant Hiradnagar - Ujjain -  Indore and back. The train will cover a total distance of 1,131 km between Varanasi and Indore via Lucknow and a distance of 1,102 km between Varanasi and Indore via Prayagraj (Allahabad) in approximately 19 hours.     

Ticket booking of Kashi Mahakal Express

The train is available for booking exclusively on IRCTC website www.irctc.co.in and its mobile app "IRCTC Rail Connect". There will be no booking at railway reservation counters. The trains will have advance reservation period of 120 days. While there will be no concession tickets in the train, children below 5 years of age have been exempted from fare and will be booked with their parents. Train fare is dynamic in nature. Current Booking will be available to users after preparation of first chart which will normally be 4 hours to 5 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

Also Read: PM Modi to launch Kashi Mahakal Express today; check fares, schedule, other details

Fare of Kashi Mahakal Express

Kashi Mahakal Express will have a dynamic fare structure like the other two Tejas Express trains. As per the IRCTC website, a one way journey from Varnasi to Indore in Kashi Mahakal Express will cost Rs 1,951.

All passengers travelling on IRCTC trains will be provided with a complimentary Rail Travel Insurance of up to Rs 10 Lakhs. IRCTC is further facilitating the passengers by allowing automatic full refund of the train fare in case of cancellation of the train for both waitlisted as well as confirmed e-tickets.

By Chitranjan Kumar