Paper:10, Tourism Products of India Module: 39, Indian Railways and Tourism Principal Investigator Prof. S P Bansal Vice Chancelor Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K Gautam Director, UIHMT Panjab University, Chandigarh Paper Coordinator Dr. Prashant K Gautam Director, UIHMT Panjab University, Chandigarh Dr. Arun Singh Thakur Content Writer Assistant Professor, University Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management Panjab University, Chandigarh Content Reviewer Prof. S P Bansal Vice Chancelor Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, Rewari, Haryana ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE Subject Name Tourism & Hospitality Paper Name Tourism Products of India Module Title Indian Railways and Tourism Module Id Module No-34 Pre- Requisites Knowledge about the Mountain Ranges in India Objectives To acquire the knowledge about the famous passes and peaks of India. Keywords Tourism, Mountain Peak, Mountain Pass. QUADRANT- I MODULE 39:INDIAN RAILWAYS AND TOURISM 1. LEARNING OUTCOMES 2. INTRODUCTION 3. ABOUT INDIAN RAILWAYS 4. INDIAN RAILWAYS AND TOURISM INDUSTRY 5. MOUNTAIN RAILWAYS OF INDIA 6. LUXARY TOURIST TRAINS 7. OTHER HIGH SPEED TRAINS AND SOME PASSENGER TRAINS 8. SUMMARY 1. Learning Outcomes Present module focuses upon highlighting the importance of Indian Railways for promotion and development of tourism. After studying this unit you will be able to; 1. Understand the role of Indian Railways in tourism development; 2. Know about the various heritage and mountain railways; 3. Know about the other trains which are popular among the tourists in India. 2. Introduction Tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the world economy with the enormous potential further to generate employment and the growth of the service sector. Earlier the most of the tourist arrivals were there in the developed countries but now the term is for the developing countries to share the growth of the tourism industry. It is due to the result of the economic development globally. Tourism products have now become a commodity which is sold through the retail outlets and the departmental stores even in many developed countries. The motivational factors and the reasons for travel to changed over the period of time. In India the tourism industry is also instrumental in the growth pattern due to the increased disposable income, socio economic development of the country, increase level of education and information and communication technology advancements. The input of the government in the form of Incredible India Campaign, Atithi Devo Bhava and provision of enhanced finance in the annual budget is other factors for the development of tourism industry in India. The development in the infrastructure with the public private partnership also provided the input for the India's sustained growth in the tourism sector. 3. About Indian Railways Indian Railways is the fourth largest Railway network in the world having 119630 km of total track with running track of 92081 km a route of 66687 km. Indian Railways is also considered the backbone of transport system within the country. It is owned by the government through Ministry of Railways and is the largest single employer within the country and 8th largest employer in the world. According to the latest data, there are around 7216 stations and Railways carry 8.1 billion passengers annually which accounts for 22 million passengers in a day and 1.1 million tons of freight in a year. If we look back at the history the Railways in India was introduced in the year 1830 for freight purposes and it was only in the year 1853 the first passenger train ran from Bombay to Thane. 4. Indian Railways and Tourism Industry The tourism in India cannot be possible without the train journey since it is a commonly used mode of public transportation in the country. Trains are not only cheaper and reliable mode of transport in India but also touch almost all important and less important places of tourism. They encourage tourism by offering different promotional schemes, tour packages, special trains, charter trains, luxurious trains, coaches to tourist domestic as well as foreign. In the country like India having a vast geographical structure, it cannot be possible to have a sustainable growth of tourism without Railways as a mode of transportation within the destinations in the country. Railways throughout the world offer a Mass Rapid Transport System. These are considered to be the most cost effective, convenient and ecofriendly transport system which can cover longer distances while providing enriching experience of travel. To explore the tourist resources of India Indian Railways is the best option that’s vast network spreads all over the country and connecting most of the destinations. The large network also provides enriching experience to the tourist giving an opportunity to interact with the local people and also to have the glimpses of the countryside during the journey. It is worthwhile to say that Indian Railways is the lifeline of the nation and while playing an important role in transporting people from one place to another on the same time it played a very significant role in the transportation of the goods all over the country. There is a tremendous role played by the Railways in providing the primary transport for all type of tourist be it International or domestic. Indian Railway also played a significant role by offering promotional schemes from time to time, tour packages, running special tourist train, chartered trains which provide the glimpses of Indian culture and tradition to the tourist boarding them. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is the wing of Indian Railways which provide a wide range of luxury services to the tourist travelling within India. For catering the need of the tourism industry Indian Railway run many tourist trains and the special category superfast trains along with the mountain railways in the different parts of the country. The exclusive services of trains offered by Indian Railways are as under; Rail tour packages Bharat Darshan tour packages Educational tour packages Hill Charter packages Luxury tourist trains Buddhist circuit special tourist trains 5. Mountain Railways of India https://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/ Darjeelinghimalayanrailway.jpg The Indian Mountain Railways one of the few narrow gauge lines in the world. These were built during the British Colonial rule in the 19th and early 20th century and since then their catering to the needs of the local people and the tourist. They are 6 in number including the Kashmir Railway which was operational since 2005 across India and Indian Railways run them. They are; Nilgiri Mountain Railways (constructed in 1908) The Kalka Shimla mountain Railway (built in 1898) Kashmir Railways (built in 2005) Kangra valley Railway (built in 1924) Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (built in 1881) We will discuss very briefly about these railways along with some other mountain railways hereunder: Nilgiri Mountain Railways http://www.indianhillresorts.com/img/nilgiri-mountain-railway.jpg Out of the 6 mountain Railways in India the Nilgiri Mountain Railways is the only one constructed on meter gauge and probably it is the most advanced in terms of technological aspects. This Railway passes through the beautiful Nilgiri Hills in Tamilnadu and having single track of 46 km length. This track was initially proposed in 1854 but due to the challenges offered by the topography the work only started in the year 1891 which was completed in 1908. The Uphill journey in the Nilgiri Mountain Railway took around 5 hours which process through 16 channels and 250 bridges. These Railways is having the achievement of the tag given by UNESCO as World Heritage site in July 2005. The Kalka Shimla mountain Railway http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wfRJlFL1Zu4/UcQ3jSToqLI/AAAAAAAABuY/- DJuaGZFPo0/s0/Kalka%252520shimla%252520train.jpg Shimla was the summer capital of the Britishers and in the present scenario is the famous destination for the holiday makers. Out of many attractions the one major attraction is the journey on board heritage Kalka Shimla railway. It was built in 1898 and covers the distance of 96 km crossing over 864 bridges and through 102 tunnels. This Himalayan railway line also enjoys the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. This train immediately climbs after it starts from Kalka railway station and whistling through the Deodar, Pine and Oak trees with the speed of 22 km per hour it took around 4 and half hours to reach Shimla. Kashmir Railways http://brighterkashmir.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/train_velley20121228.jpg The recently constructed strategically important Railways by the government of India is the Kashmir mountain Railways. The official name of this Railway is 'Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar- Baramulla Railway link and it connects Kashmir with the rest of the country. The project of the Kashmir Railway was declared a national project in 2002 considering the inhospitable terrain which presented the extreme challenges to this engineering project. Kangra valley Railway http://www.holidaytravel.co/uploaded_files/gallery_img/959902305672e8feec0de.jpg The Kangra valley railway line covers a distance of 163 km from Pathankot to Jogindernagar. The selection by the creators indeed praiseworthy as the Railways crosses over the magnificence of the scenery, majesty of the northern mountain barriers, the beauty of its grandeur of the streams and the religious places in the Kangra valley. This mountain Railway run through a track of 142 km which encounter steep slopes and 971 uniquely designed bridges along with 2 tunnels also. The journey to the train also provides the spectacular view of the Dhauladhar range. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories/darjeeling_647_021517111436.jpg One of the most famous trains in India is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway which connects the town of New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling. The journey process through the breathtaking landscapes, orchids and beautiful lush green tea gardens.