COMPETITIVE · MARKET STRUCTURE · INDIA
India rail tourism: South Star Rail/Indian Railways launch April special tourist train packages
Change
Indian Railways and private operator South Star Rail announced a 13-day summer special tourist train tour package to Kashmir Valley and Vaishno Devi starting April 11, with fares from ₹42,000 by class.
Why it matters
The executed change is the launch of a joint Indian Railways–South Star Rail summer special tourist train offering a 13-day package beginning April 11. Pricing is published by class (starting ₹42,000 sleeper; up to ₹68,000 first AC), setting a clear cost benchmark for competing tour products on the same circuit. The itinerary bundles multiple stops (including Agra, Srinagar-area destinations, Amritsar and Delhi; and a separate Vaishno Devi-focused circuit), which concentrates travel flows into a defined schedule rather than flexible point-to-point demand. The offering also signals expanded participation of a private service provider in rail tourism operations for this route window.
Implications
- • Packaged rail capacity for Kashmir/Vaishno Devi is time-locked to an Apr 11 start
- • Published fare ladder sets a price anchor for competing tour packages
- • Demand may shift from independent bookings to bundled, fixed-itinerary travel
Who is affected
- • Rail-tour operators and travel agencies selling India domestic pilgrimage/leisure circuits
- • Hotels and local transport providers in Srinagar/Sonmarg/Gulmarg and Katra (Vaishno Devi)
- • Indian Railways/South Central Railway operations supporting special tourist trains
- • Private rail service providers participating in tourist-train operations
Source
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