Indian Railways to run Samanta Express to mark Babasaheb Ambedkar's 128th birth anniversary

The Railways will run Samanta Express, a special train to mark the 128th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar, from March next year covering Buddhist sites in India and Nepal, a senior official said Thursday.

The special tourist train would commence its journey on March 28 from Nagpur, Maharashtra, where Ambedkar adopted Buddhism along with many of his supporters in 1956.

In an earlier release from the railways, the date of the commencement of the train service was mentioned as April 19, 2019, the birth anniversary of Ambedkar.

During the 12-day tour, chalked out by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the train will cover important places connected to the life of Ambedkar, including his birthplace Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), Mumbai and various other places associated with Buddhism such as Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar and Lumbini in Nepal.

It will offer a tour package that will include rail journey, road transfers and sightseeing in buses, accommodation in dharmashala and pure vegetarian food in an all inclusive price of Rs 11,340 per person.

The tour package of 'Samanta Express' will be available for online booking in the tourism website of the IRCTC from December 10, 2018. The tour package can also be booked offline at any of the offices of IRCTC across the country.