Ahead of its journey starting today from Varanasi, the Kashi Mahakal Express train has received an overwhelming response from the public with as many as 612 bookings done by 7 pm on Wednesday, against the train's total carrying capacity of 648.
The number is likely to increase further by the time the train departs from Varanasi at 2.45 pm today. The reservations have been made for both end-to-end and multi-leg journeys.
Kashi Mahakal Express, which was earlier flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will connect religious places in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The superfast fully air-conditioned passenger train, operated by the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will connect three Jyotirlingas - Omkareshwar (near Indore), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) and Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), besides connecting the industrial and educational hubs of Indore and Bhopal.
The train will operate thrice a week between Varanasi and Indore, once via Prayagraj (Allahabad) and twice via Lucknow.
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.
It will have advance reservation period of 120 days. All passengers travelling on IRCTC trains will also be provided with a complimentary Rail Travel Insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh, said the statement.
IRCTC will also allow an automatic full refund of the train fare in case of cancellation of the train for both waitlisted and confirmed e-tickets.
( With inputs from ANI )