Tripura CM Manik Saha flags off Astha Special train for Ayodhya from Agartala railway station

Tripura's Chief Minister Manik Saha initiated the journey of the 00727- Astha Special train to Ayodhya from the Agartala Railway Station on Tuesday. CM Saha extended gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the redevelopment of 553 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

An event was hosted on Monday where he addressed the foundation stone laying, inauguration, and redevelopment of 554 railway stations under 'Amrit Bharat Station Schemes' and 1509 road over bridges underpasses in Agartala.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 553 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme on the same day. Covering 27 States and Union Territories, the redevelopment of these stations is estimated to cost over Rs19,000 crores. The Indian Railways had previously announced the 'Aastha Special' trains to transport devotees to Ayodhya from various parts of the country.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently flagged off the 'Aastha Special Train' carrying around 1500 devotees from Sambalpur, Odisha to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The train, equipped with 20 sleeper-class coaches, ensures all necessary amenities for passengers.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced a new train service from Puri, home of Lord Jagannath, to Ayodhya. The Indian Railways is currently operating over 200 Aastha special trains from different cities and tier 1 and tier 2 towns across India to Ayodhya. Each Aastha train has 20 sleeper coaches, accommodating about 1,400 people. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust reported that over 20 lakh devotees visited the Ram Temple in the week following the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

Also read: Centre directs 100 per cent sale of dust grade tea via public auction