Get ready for a roaring journey in 'Tiger Express' from October

HYDERABAD: The tourist train `Tiger Express', that will take travellers to the world-famous Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks in Madhya Pradesh, will start its regular run from October, an official said.

The semi-luxury train is operated by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

"The train will be starting from Delhi and going through the Tiger corridor - Bandhavgarh and Kanha circuit. We are in talks with them (IRCTC) on how to give the travellers the best tourist experience in all these places.

"The Tiger Express will start (regular run) from October and the duration of the tour will be five nights and six days," Madhya Pradesh Tourism's Additional Managing Director Tanvi Sundriyal told reporters here today.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had on June 5 flagged off the inaugural run of the tiger trail circuit train from Delhi's Safdarjung station.

"The train will accommodate 100 persons per trip. Because the entire section is in MP, we will provide the travellers with accommodation, among other things," she said.

"Madhya Pradesh is bestowed with diversity and has hence designed diverse tourism products," Sundriyal said.

To promote various tourism projects, MP government has come out with policies like "wayside amenities", "land allotment" and "incentive for heritage projects", she said.

"We have mapped 303 wayside amenities which will be build over the next three years with private partnership. We are trying to increase accommodation (for tourists) and planning to increase it two times over the next five years by offering land parcels."

"Under the heritage policy, Taj Mahal palace in Bhopal, Govind Garh Fort in Rewa and Madhavgarh Fort in Satna district would be converted into heritage hotels under PPP model," the official added.