Pravasi Bharatiya Express Launch: Know facilities, destinations, timings and more

Pravasi Bharatiya Express Launch: PM Modi flagged off India’s first tourist train dedicated to the Indian diaspora. The train’s first trip will begin on Thursday, January 9, a date chosen to honour the day Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the 'Pravasi Bharatiya Express' on Wednesday at New Delhi's Safdarjung railway station. This new tourist train is explicitly created for Indian diaspora members aged 45 to 65. The goal is to help people reconnect with their cultural and spiritual roots.

The train's inaugural journey will begin on Thursday, January 9, commemorating the day Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915. The train will travel across India for three weeks, stopping at significant tourist and religious sites. These are Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Kevadia (Ekta Nagar), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra.

The Ministry of External Affairs is launching the state-of-the-art special tourist train, which can accommodate 156 passengers, as part of the Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana in collaboration with the IRCTC. This effort aims to provide a meaningful travel experience that develops ties between the Indian diaspora and their heritage.

The Prime Minister will also open the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This flagship event hosted by the Government of India serves as an important venue for engaging with the Indian diaspora and fostering ties amongst them.

The 18th PBD Convention, sponsored in partnership with the Odisha state government, will be held from January 8 to 10, 2025. This year's event theme is "Diaspora's Contribution to a Developed India." More than 50 nations are represented, and many diaspora members have already registered to participate.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and shared the news of the train’s launch. Tweets, "Dekho Apna Desh 🚆PM @narendramodi Ji flagged off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special Tourist Train for the Indian diaspora. 📍18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention, Bhubaneswar @DrSJaishankar"

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention will feature five thematic plenary sessions: "Beyond Borders: Diaspora Youth Leadership in a Globalised World," "Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: Stories of Migrant Skills," "Green Connections: Diaspora's Contributions to Sustainable Development," "Diaspora Divas: Celebrating Women's Leadership and Influence - Nari Shakti," and "Diaspora Dialogues: Stories of Culture, Connection, and Belongingness."