New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) The Railway Board has approved a new weekly train service between Janakpur Dham in Nepal

New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) The Railway Board has approved a new weekly train service between Janakpur Dham in Nepal

New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) The Railway Board has approved a new weekly train service between Janakpur Dham in Nepal

New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) The Railway Board has approved a new weekly train service between Janakpur Dham in Nepal and Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

     However, the board has not yet announced when commercial operations will begin.

     Covering approximately 604 kilometres, the weekly service will connect Janakpur Dham with Ayodhya Cantt, passing through several important towns and cities in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

     The train will have commercial stoppages at Jaynagar, Madhubani, Shisho, Sitamarhi, Raxaul, Narkatiaganj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Mankapur and Ayodhya Dham, besides its terminal stations.

     The service will operate once a week, departing from Janakpur Dham on Saturday and from Ayodhya Cantt on Monday.

     "The service will establish an important rail link between two destinations deeply associated with the Ramayana tradition, Janakpur Dham, revered as the birthplace of Mata Sita, and Ayodhya, the birthplace of the Prabhu Shri Ram," it said in a press statement on Saturday.

     "The initiative will provide passengers from both countries with improved access to these prominent religious and cultural centres while reinforcing their shared civilizational heritage,” it added.

     The board stated that the new service is expected to make cross-border travel more convenient for pilgrims, tourists and other passengers.

     "It will facilitate religious journeys between Janakpur and Ayodhya, encourage tourism circuits associated with the Ramayana and provide greater mobility to people travelling for education, business and family-related purposes," it said.

     On strengthening India-Nepal friendship, officials said that India and Nepal share centuries-old cultural, historical and social bonds, with religious traditions and cross-border community relationships forming an integral part of this partnership.

     "The new train service will add another dimension to bilateral cooperation by using railway connectivity to bring communities closer," they added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)