Devotees can reach Ayodhya directly from Kerala; special train service from tomorrow

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly 19 lakh people have visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya after Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Prana Pratishtha of the temple on January 22. The temple was opened for devotees from the very next day of the Prana Pratishtha. Every day, lakhs of people are coming to Ayodhya. The Ministry of Railways had announced that the Railways would start services from different parts of the country to Ayodhya Dham railway station. The first train service from Kerala to Ayodhya will start from Olavakkode station in Palakkad on January 30. The maiden journey of the Aastha special train from Kerala will start at 7.10 pm tomorrow, the Southern Railway said.

On the third day, the train will reach Ayodhya at 3 in the morning. It will start its return journey to Palakkad that evening. In the first phase, the devotees should book tickets as a group through IRCTC's tourism booking website. Tickets cannot be booked from the railway station or through the IRCTC app. 1500 passengers can travel on an Aastha Special Train. Each train will have 22 sleeper coaches. In the coming days, more train services to Ayodhya will commence from Coimbatore, Nagercoil, and Thiruvananthapuram.