This is the first privately-operated train from Coimbatore. There is no direct public transport from Coimbatore to Shirdi. From Coimbatore, one has to travel by air and train to other cities and then travel to Shirdi.
Shirdi has been given permission by the Railway Department to run private trains from five cities under Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Bharat Kaurav’ scheme. In this, Coimbatore is also included. Hence, weekly trains will run from Coimbatore to Shirdi and from Shirdi to Coimbatore. This train is very useful for devotees from Andhra Pradesh also, to reach both temples of Shirdi and Mandiralaya.
The first weekly trip to Shirdi is scheduled to commence on June 14. B.G. Mallya, General Manager of the Southern Railway, A. Gautam Srinivas, Divisional Railway Manager of Salem Division and other senior officials inspected the train at Podanur junction.
The train will have stoppages at Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Bengaluru, Mantralayam and Shirdi.
Mr. Mallya gave various instructions to the private operator on conducting the services and norms to be followed under the Bharat Gaurav scheme. When contacted, a booking agent said that the bookings for the maiden trip were being done manually through its office near the Sai Baba temple at Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore. He added that an online booking facility will be arranged soon.