News

Indian Railways resumes Toy Train between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling; check timings

Pride moment for Indian Railways! Recently, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has launched a stamp on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. Among a few world heritage sites, the iconic Indian Railways’ Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) attracts tourists from all over the world. The national transporter has resumed Darjeeling Toy Train services from 25 August 2021 (Wednesday). According to the Northeast Frontier Railways, Train Number 52541/52540 New Jalpaiguri – Darjeeling – New Jalpaiguri consist of three coaches including, one FCZ, one VS and one Parcel Van. The train runs daily as per following schedule: Train Number 52541 departs from New Jalpaiguri at 10:00 AM, halts at Siliguri Junction railway station at 10:25 AM, halts at Sukna station at 11:00 AM, Rangtong railway station at 11:34 AM, Tindharia railway station at 12:40 PM, halts at Gayabari railway station at 1:13 PM, Mahanadi station at 1:41 PM, Kurseong railway station at 2:20 PM, Tung station at 3:00 PM, Sonada railway station at 3:45 PM, Ghum at 4:35 PM, and arrives at Darjeeling station at 5:20 PM. Train Number 52540 departs from Darjeeling railway station at 8:00 AM, halts at Ghum railway station at 8:30 PM, halts at Sonada railway station at 9:15 AM, Tung station at 9:54 AM, halts at Kurseong railway station at 10:30 AM, Mahanadi railway station at 11:10 AM, Gayabari station at 11:41 AM, halts at Tindharia railway station at 12:17 PM, Rangtong station at 1:25 PM, Sukna station at 2:00 PM, Siliguri Junction railway station at 2:32 PM, New Jalpaiguri at 3:15 PM. A few days ago, the national transporter resumed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Joy ride services between Darjeeling and Ghum for tourists and passengers.

Read more

Know the latest COVID-19 Guidelines to visit Greece from India

You might have to take note of this latest guideline when travelling to Greece from India. The Greek Aviation Authority has now ruled that regardless of a person’s nationality, unvaccinated travellers entering the country from India will have to get tested for COVID-19 upon arrival. The same rule applies to 12 other countries besides India. These are the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Morocco, Libya, China, Cuba, Argentina, Egypt, Georgia, Albania, China, and Russia. The Greek Aviation Authority has issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) for all incoming international flights. This will be valid until August 27. Greece has also decided to put restrictions on their domestic flights for a week. The NOTAM prohibits third-country nationals, which includes spouses or people cohabiting from entering the country. Additionally, travellers who are arriving in Greece will need to fill in an electronic form. The form is called Passenger Locator Form or PF, and this must be completed before the flight departs for Greece. Passengers must carry a valid COVID-19 certificate, with the last dose administered 14 days before arriving in Greece. The negative RT-PCR test report should have been taken 72 hours before, while it should be 48 hours before departure for the rapid test report. Any passenger infected in the past must carry a certificate of recovery that should be issued 30 days after recovery. Also, passengers whose test report comes back positive at the airport in Greece, will have to quarantine for 10 days.

Read more

Once-a-week Kolkata-London flight, now till October 30

KOLKATA: Air India’s direct Kolkata-London flight that was initially allowed to operate only on August 22 and 29 has now been extended till October 30 once a week. This brings relief for people wanting to travel between Bengal and the UK to visit friends and family during Durga Puja. “The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) has approved the once-a-week Kolkata-Heathrow service till the end of October under the air bubble agreement between the two countries. Even thereafter, we expect the flight to be extended and continue to operate unless the third wave causes alarm and leads to the suspension of international flights. As of now, there are no such indications,” an AI official told TOI. Air India had introduced the Kolkata-London service last September, initially with a twice-a-week frequency that was reduced to once-a-week from October 25. But the flight was suspended from December 22 amid fears of the spread of UK strain. It was only last Sunday, August 22, that two special flights were allowed in August to meet the demand of students travelling to join classes this month end or early next month. On Tuesday, MoCA granted the extension till October 30. The news has brought cheer to people in the UK who have relatives in Kolkata and usually travel to the city during Durga Puja. There is also a sizeable chunk of population in Kolkata, that has family members settled in the UK whom they visit during the Puja break. The NRI community in the UK, particularly Bengalis, celebrates Durga Puja with much fanfare. “At present, there is a 10-day quarantine requirement in the UK that will not pose a problem for those visiting relatives as the minimum duration of stay is usually a month. We expect a good traffic on the sector,” said Travel Agents Association of India chairman (east) Manav Soni. The aircraft deployed for the flight is a Boeing B787 Dreamliner with 256 seats in two class configuration — 18 business class seats and the rest economy class. Though the first flight’s load wasn’t too high given that it was the first to operate in eight months, the fight departing Kolkata on August 29 has good loads, AI sources said. Meanwhile, the reintroduction of Emirates and Qatar Airways flights and easing of restrictions by the UAE have helped transit passengers, especially businessmen travelling to Europe or the US. Emirates is currently operating three flights a week on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday while Qatar operates on Sunday and Tuesday. Fly Dubai is planning to start operations from September 3 with five flights a week on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. “It will be good to have international flights back in Kolkata after a long gap. If the third wave is kept in check and it remains like it is at present, there will be good demand for travel during Durga Puja as well as the winter vacation,” said Travel Agents Federation of India chairman (east) Anil Punjabi.

Read more

Bullet train to run between Ayodhya and Delhi

Ayodhya is all set to get a high-speed train connecting it to Delhi! This move comes as the government makes efforts to place Ayodhya on the world tourism map, the reason why the city is all set to get an infrastructure boost. Reportedly, the latest high-speed train will help slash the travel time between the two cities to just three hours. Among other proposals to improve connectivity in this region are a new airport as well as the bullet train. As per Executive Director of National High Speed Rail Corporation Anoop Kumar Agarwal, there is a plan to directly connect the city of Lord Ram with the national capital, which will cut down the travel time between the two cities. Anoop Kumar Agarwal further added that he visited Ayodhya last week to finalise the site for the railway station. He also informed that an aerial survey has been done, and that the plan has also been approved by the Centre. Reports have it that a 130 km railway track will be laid to connect Ayodhya to Lucknow, and will be part of 941.5 km high-speed railway corridor linking Delhi to Varanasi via Agra-Lucknow-Allahabad. A part of the high-speed train railway corridor might also go underground in Lucknow and Agra, the official stated. He elaborated that it will take around seven years to complete this project, and that the National High Speed Rail Corporation will start working on the project as soon as they receive a no-objection certificate from the AA

Read more

Mauritius further relaxes travel restrictions

From September 1, vaccinated visitors will only need to spend seven days in a dedicated resort bubble, before they are able to go out and explore the rest of the island. On July 15, the Indian Ocean nation reopened its borders to international visitors who have been vaccinated, with the caveat that they would need to stay in 14 allocated resort bubbles. Only those staying in their resorts for more than two weeks were able to visit other parts of the island, after taking a RT-PCR test on day 14 of their holiday. This has now been reduced to seven days, following the successful roll-out of the country’s vaccination drive. According to Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, 56 per cent of the population has received two jabs of a Covid-19 vaccine. Starting in October, vaccinated travellers will be free to explore the island from the get-go. “This is a major leap towards the full reopening of its borders on October 1, when vaccinated international travellers will be welcomed in without restrictions," says Arvind Bundhun, director of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority. "Visitors who present a negative PCR test taken in the 72 hours prior to embarkation will be able to explore the island freely from the moment they arrive." Emirates flies to Mauritius twice a week, with return economy flights starting from Dh4,515. Mauritius is currently on Abu Dhabi’s green list, meaning travellers will not have to quarantine upon their return to the capital.

Read more

Footfall upswing in Madhya Pradesh tourist sites; hotels see rebound in business

INDORE: Festivities and the lush greenery in monsoon have boosted tourism activities with most waterfronts and scenic destinations teeming with guests, pushing occupancy to full on weekends though weekdays have reached close to 40%. It has prompted hoteliers to come up with workaction packages in the state. Footfall of tourists from neighbouring states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have also seen a jump with experts crediting ease on travel restrictions and vaccination against Covid-19. Madhya Pradesh’s tourism is seeing a rebound in business in the monsoon season with most properties sold out on weekends, but to attract corporates, the department is mulling over a workaction theme to lure office workers. A few resorts have also designed a workaction package to encash ‘work from anywhere’ concept . N K Swarnkar, regional manager, MP Tourism Corporation, Indore said, “Weekends are almost full at most of our properties but weekday rush is around 45%. Looking at the changing trends, workaction has emerged as an attractive option for both officegoers and the hoteliers. People are bored at home and want to explore scenic destinations amid their regular work.” To combat the spread of infection, many companies have allowed work from anywhere to their employees and hoteliers are pinning hopes on this new normal concept to lure business in the festival season.

Read more