Representative image of trains.
Credit: PTI Photo
Karnataka will likely get 11 special trains to Ayodhya from February onwards. Three of these trains will originate from Bengaluru, two each from Hubballi, Mysuru and Mangaluru, and one each from Shivamogga and Belagavi, a well-placed source in the South Western Railway said on Wednesday.
The trains will be run by IRCTC and the tickets will have to be booked online. "These won't be the regular trains. No tickets will be issued over the counter. Nor will there be any last-minute bookings," the source said, requesting anonymity.
Details on fares, routes and the timetable are still being worked out, the source added.
In all likelihood, the trains will start running within a month of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, scheduled for January 22, the source said.
The railways is currently remodelling the yards at Ayodhya Dham, Ayodhya Cantonment and Salarpur stations, and has diverted two Bengaluru trains away from these places. The yard remodelling works will be completed soon.
Once these trains are introduced, the IRCTC will stop its Karnataka Bharat Gaurav Yatra trains, sources said.