IRCTC Summer Tours Launched

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is selling summer the way airlines sell holidays now: not just a seat, but a full itinerary with meals, hotel stays, buses, and temple visits bundled into one booking. One of the new offers starts on April 30, 2026, and another leaves on July 11, 2026, aimed at Shiva devotees visiting five Jyotirlinga shrines. (amarbharti.com) (news18.com) The July package is called “05 Jyotirlinga Yatra with Dwarkadhish Temple and Ellora,” and it runs for 10 nights and 11 days from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh. It is being operated on the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train format, which is Indian Railways’ branded model for theme-based circuit travel. (news18.com) (stayvista.com) The stops are arranged like a moving pilgrimage loop across western India. Passengers are scheduled to visit Dwarkadhish Temple, Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar, Somnath, Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar, and the Ellora caves on one ticket. (news18.com) The pricing is built in three layers, the same way a flight sells economy, premium economy, and business. The sleeper-class economy fare is ₹20,250, the three-tier air-conditioned fare is ₹33,250, and the two-tier air-conditioned fare is ₹44,000 per person. (news18.com) That fare is not just rail travel. News18’s reported package details say it includes vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and dinner, hotel accommodation, local bus transfers from stations to temples, and travel insurance for passengers. (news18.com) The boarding plan shows who this product is really for. The train starts at Rewa and also picks up passengers at Satna, Maihar, Katni, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Itarsi, Rani Kamlapati in Bhopal, Shujalpur, and Ujjain, which turns a long temple circuit into a plug-in package for travelers across central India. (news18.com) This is not a one-off idea from the railway tourism arm. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has been running similar Jyotirlinga circuits under Bharat Gaurav since at least 2025, including a 12-day seven-Jyotirlinga train from Rishikesh with fares starting at ₹24,100 and capacity for 767 passengers. (goodreturns.in) (helptraveleronline.com) The pattern is clear: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is turning pilgrimage into a packaged transport business with fixed routes, fixed classes, and fixed inclusions. For travelers, that removes the usual mess of stitching together trains, hotel rooms, and temple transfers across several states. (news18.com) (stayvista.com) The timing is also deliberate. A July 11 departure puts the five-Jyotirlinga train just before the Shravan pilgrimage rush, when Shiva temples draw heavier crowds, and an April 30 summer launch gives Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation a second seasonal window to fill berths outside ordinary commuter traffic. (news18.com) (amarbharti.com) Bookings for the July circuit are being directed through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation tourism website and its regional tourism offices. That makes the railway company less like a ticketing utility and more like a tour operator that happens to own the train. (news18.com)