In November 2021, the Indian Railways made a landmark decision by allowing private companies to conduct theme-based Bharat Gaurav trains to promote India's rich cultural history and historical sites to Indians and visitors from around the world. To conduct theme-based trains, the initiative will tap into the expertise of tourism specialists. The plan is comparable to the IRCTC's theme-based tourist trains, like the Ramayana Express, which takes passengers on a tour of many locations associated with Lord Ram.
What is the mechanism behind it?
As part of a particular tourism package, any operator can lease trains from Indian Railways to run on a theme-based circuit. The route, halts, services supplied, and, most crucially, the tariff is all up to the operator. A prospective service provider must register to put a demand for a rake of Bharat Gaurav trains in order to use them. The train can be entrusted to the service provider for a minimum of two years and a maximum of up to the remaining life of the coaches. The rake must include a minimum of 14 coaches and a maximum of 20 coaches, including at least two SLRs (Guard Vans). The locomotive and guard will be provided by the railways.
The Bharat Gaurav scheme is significant in two ways. First, it allows private companies with domain knowledge in the tourism sector to operate these special trains. Previously, the IRCTC was responsible for this. The second benefit is that Railways receives additional revenue from a new line of business. This might open the way for increased privatisation of freight and passenger train operations.
Some see the idea as a boon to people who want to visit the country's many tourist attractions. Some, however, see this plan as the first big step toward privatising the railways, which officials dispute. A group of Railway personnel held a demonstration at the city railway station after the first train was flagged off in Coimbatore.
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