Latest news with #IndianRailwayCateringandTourismCorporation
Hans India
4 days ago
- Hans India
IRCTC's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj heritage train tour receives overwhelming response
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Navratna company under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, has received an overwhelming response to its newly-launched 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Circuit Train Tour.' Scheduled to depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, on June 9, the heritage tour is already fully booked. A total of 710 passengers have secured their spots across various classes, with 480 bookings in Economy (Sleeper Class), 190 in Comfort (3AC), and 40 in Superior (2AC). This six-day train journey has been specially curated to showcase the glorious history and grand legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The tour is the result of a collaborative effort between the Government of Maharashtra, Indian Railways, and IRCTC, aiming to provide travellers with an immersive experience that brings to life the heroic saga of the legendary Maratha ruler. The train will cover historically significant sites such as Raigad Fort, Shivneri Fort, Pratapgad Fort, Panhala Fort, Lal Mahal, Kasba Ganpati Temple, and Shivsrushti, all closely associated with the key events and life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The journey begins with the train departing from CSMT and heading toward Mangaon station on the Konkan Railway network, the nearest access point to Raigad Fort. Raigad is the site of Shivaji Maharaj's coronation and was his capital. After sightseeing, tourists will travel to Pune for an overnight hotel stay. On the second day, they will visit Lal Mahal, a red palace originally built by Shivaji's father Shahaji Bhosale in 1630, and later rebuilt in 1984. Tourists will also see the Kasba Ganpati Temple, believed to have been established by Shivaji's mother Jijabai, and the historical theme park Shivsrushti, where Shivaji's life story is presented through 3D visuals and interactive exhibits. Visitors will spend a second night in Pune. On the third day, the tour continues to Shivneri Fort, Shivaji Maharaj's birthplace located atop a hill near Junnar and will also visit the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India. After the visit, tourists return to Pune for overnight rest. On the fourth day, the train will proceed to Satara. From there, travellers will explore Pratapgad Fort, the historic site of the 1659 battle between Shivaji Maharaj and Afzal Khan of the Bijapur Sultanate. After this visit, the group will leave for Kolhapur. The final day of the tour begins with the train arriving at Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus in Kolhapur. Following this, there will be a tour of the iconic Panhala Fort, located in the Sahyadri Hills. This fort has deep historical connections with Shivaji Maharaj, who was held captive there for over 500 days before making a dramatic escape. Known as the 'Fort of Serpents' due to its winding structure, Panhala is also famous for the legendary bravery of Baji Prabhu Deshpande, Shivaji's general, during a crucial battle to retain control of the fort. The tour package includes train travel, comfortable hotel accommodations, all vegetarian meals, transfers and sightseeing via air-conditioned buses, travel insurance, and the assistance of experienced tour escorts. IRCTC has assured that all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers while providing a culturally enriching and memorable journey.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
WR to conduct fire safety audit at all stations on suburban route
MUMBAI: The fire in a fast food stall at Churchgate railway terminus on Thursday evening has raised safety concerns for the Western Railway (WR). The railway and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have initiated a fire safety audit at Churchgate as well as Mumbai Central stations, where all food stalls are being inspected. In a second phase, stalls selling edibles along the railway's entire suburban stretch will be audited for fire safety. Also, a five-member committee is investigating the cause of Thursday's blaze. The team said the fire could have been caused by faulty electricity cables or rodents chewing wires, among other things. The probe includes officers from the Commercial, Operating and Electrical departments, Railway Protection Force and IRCTC. Thursday's fire began at a stall that sold cakes, biscuits and other edibles near the main concourse. It spread to a neighbouring shop as well as the floor above before it was doused within 15-20 minutes by the Fire Brigade. 'We observed that the staff of the private operator panicked and did not know the proper procedure to extinguish the fire. They are the first responders in such emergencies and we will inquire whether they receive any training at all,' said a senior WR official. During phase two of its fire safety audit, the railway will send teams to visit each suburban station along the 60-km-long Churchgate-Virar route, to inspect food stalls at these premises. The railway will also urge the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to remove food stalls and vendors that crowd the area just outside the station premises. 'There are 150-odd food stalls and units on platforms and station premises, which will be thoroughly inspected for any deficiencies. We will also request the civic body to remove illegal food stalls and ask vendors to stop using LPG cylinders or any other form of cooking that could be a fire hazard,' said another WR official. The railway is also looking to enforce the 150-metre 'no-hawking-zone' rule that is in place but not followed.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Indian Railways To Make Aadhaar Linking Mandatory For Tatkal Booking To Ensure Fairness
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will make it mandatory for users to link their Aadhaar numbers and login IDs while booking train tickets under the Tatkal quota in order to make the process fair and glitch-free. The move will bar people from booking multiple Tatkal tickets simultaneously, which affects genuine users. "Indian Railways will soon start using e-Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets. This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said on X. Bharatiya Railways will soon start using e-Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets. This will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need. — Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 4, 2025 "The Ministry of Railways, Railway Board, hereby notifies that the Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) be allowed to perform Aadhaar authentication, on a voluntary basis, to establish the identity of ticket-checking staff, crew members and passengers, using Yes/No or eKYC authentication facility," noted a Gazette notification dated May 27, 2025. An IRCTC official told PTI recently that the Indian Railway has deployed Artificial Intelligence-based advanced technical solutions to curb unauthorised ticketing practices. The system detects and deactivates such user IDs before they can disrupt the booking system. As per the news agency, the move is already making progress as the creation of new user IDs on the IRCTC platform dropped from 60,000 to 65,000 per day to just 10,000 to 12,000. IRCTC has also blocked 35 million fraudulent user IDs, the official said. "Let's presume that a person named A approaches an unauthorised agent to get a ticket booked from Delhi to Agra. The agent will use several disposable email IDs (using domain names available on Google) and mobile numbers to create, let's say, 30 profiles on the IRCTC platform," the officials told PTI while explaining the process. The email ID becomes invalid, the profile, however, remains after authentication, which is used by unauthorised agents to book a ticket for a person. Hence, the agents have 30 attempts to book a ticket for that one person. Public outcry over Tatkal booking issues Several people have raised issues they face while booking the Tatkal tickets from the IRCTC website, with most recently Dr A. Velumani, the founder of Thyrocare, calling it "betrayal". Dr Velumani shared a viral image on his X account, which noted, "Tatkal booking on IRCTC has become a joke. Seats show available, but the moment it turns 10 AM, the site hangs. By 10:03, all seats are gone - even in remote routes. And then at 10:04, the site suddenly becomes smooth again, as if nothing happened."
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Aadhaar link mandatory for booking tatkal train tickets
Mumbai: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has made it mandatory for users to link their Aadhaar numbers with their login IDs to book train tickets under the tatkal quota. The move, being implemented since this week, is aimed at preventing touts from booking multiple tatkal tickets and ensuring that genuine passengers get first priority in tatkal ticketing, said IRCTC officials. Currently, the IRCTC platform has over 130 million active users, of which only 12 million accounts are Aadhaar-verified. Around 225,000 tatkal tickets are booked daily via the online platform, with 66.4% of tickets being sold within the first 10 minutes of the commencement of tatkal booking. Around 84.02% tatkal tickets are sold within the first hour of commencement of tatkal bookings, while 12% tatkal tickets are booked 8-10 hours after the window opens. IRCTC officials said Aadhaar-verified users will get priority access to tatkal tickets, especially during the crucial first 10 minutes. 'Even authorised IRCTC agents will not be able to book tatkal tickets during this initial phase even if they have multiple user IDs and emails,' an IRTC official told Hindustan Times. Aadhaar-based one-time passwords would also be required for booking tatkal tickets, the official said. 'In future, Aadhaar verification will be mandatory for booking tatkal tickets over the counter as well,' the official mentioned. Meanwhile, the IRCTC has launched a campaign against the use of AI tools to book tickets online, said another IRCTC official. 'We have deactivated and blocked over 24 million users in the past six months while another 2 million users have been flagged as suspicious and are under investigation based on their Aadhaar and other documents,' the official said.
India.com
5 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express Begins Operations June 7: Timings, Route, And Ticket Prices Revealed
photoDetails english 2911701 Updated:Jun 06, 2025, 08:00 AM IST PM Modi To Launch Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express 1 / 7 The Northern Railway said that the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will be ready for commercial operations from June 7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the service on Friday. 3-Hour Journey Unveiled 2 / 7 The train, which will run between Katra and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, will provide passengers with a 3-hour journey at high speed along with a halt at Banihal. Train Timings And Schedule 3 / 7 Two sets of Vande Bharat Express trains (Train Nos. 26404/26403 and 26401/26402) will run on the Srinagar-Katra-Srinagar route, undertaking four trips a day. The first train leaves Katra at 8:10 AM and arrives at Srinagar at 11:08 AM, while its return journey starts at Srinagar at 2:00 PM and reaches Katra by 4:58 PM. It will not run on Tuesdays. New 2:55 PM Departure, Alternate Day Schedule Revealed 4 / 7 The other train departs from Katra at 2:55 PM and arrives in Srinagar at 5:53 PM, and on the return trip from Srinagar at 8:00 AM next day, but on every alternate day, excluding Wednesdays. Further halts will be introduced later, officials said. Ticket Prices 5 / 7 The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express will have two classes: AC Chair Car (Rs 715) and Executive Chair Car (Rs 1,320). Tickets will be open for sale on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website after the inauguration. Official Statements 6 / 7 One Northern Railway representative said, "The trains will initially stop only at Banihal, covering the Katra-Srinagar route in approximately three hours, with fares set at Rs 715 for Chair Car and Rs 1,320 for Executive Class." The service is expected to increase connectivity in the area, enhance tourism and accessibility. PM Modi's Vande Bharat Launch Boosts Jammu-Kashmir Rail Travel 7 / 7 The launch by PM Modi is an important step towards developing rail travel in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Vande Bharat Express offering faster and more comfortable travel for commuters.
