Patna: Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav flagged off 'Village on Wheels', a special train catering to the needs of Budget pilgrim tourists at the Rajendra Nagar terminal in Patna today (Nov 29, 2004).

The first 'Village on Wheels' left Patna on a 9-day tour of Varanasi, Agra, Mathura, Delhi, Jammu, Amritsar and Howrah.

Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi was also present at the programme.

The train has five sleeper coaches with 360 berths and a pantry car, divisional railway manager of Danapur division of East Central Railway B L Mittal said adding that total fare including breakfast, two meals and guided tour by bus will be Rs 4,500 for each passenger.

Mittal said a second route plan approved by the Railways is a 12-day trip to South India. The special train leaving the Rajendra Nagar terminal will visit Tirupati, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin.

The third route plan, which would also be a 12-day-tour, proposes to cover Shirdi, Pune, Mumbai, Dwarka, Ajmer, Delhi and back to Patna.

The fourth plan is a 6-day affair to Kolkata, Puri and back to Patna, he said.