Tourism and Railways Ministries plan 50 'Adarsh' stations across India to attract more tourist footfall

The Ministry of Tourism and the Railways Ministry will develop 50 Adarsh railway stations across the country in an attempt to attract more tourist footfall. 

These railway stations will be cleaned and painted in such a way that they highlight the local culture and tourism potential of the particular place.

Both ministries have signed a joint venture agreement to develop the existing infrastructure. 

“We will put up various things like direction boards, tourist guides, etc in all these railways stations. This will woo more tourists to visit these places,” said Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma.  

“There will be a special tourist coach that will have many additional facilities and ambience for passengers’ comfort. The fare of this coach would obviously be a little higher than the others, but in terms of passenger amenities, it would be a pleasant experience for any tourist to travel in that coach,” Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma. 

These 50 railway stations will include major hubs like Benaras, New Delhi, Amritsar, Lucknow, Allahabad, Chandigarh and Jaipur. 

 

The Railway Budget of the Indian Railways in the fiscal year 2015-16 had announced that about 200 stations would be brought under the “Adarsh Station Scheme”. The stations were to be given basic amenities like toilets, drinking water, catering services, and waiting rooms under the “Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat” programme.