New Train Service Kashi Tamil Sangamam Express To Commence Soon

Commemorating the Tamil Sangamam event, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced a new train service called Kashi Tamil Sangamam Express between Kashi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) and Tamil Nadu.

He said the new train service will commence soon.

The month-long programme Kashi Tamil Sangamam is underway in Kashi to promote the idea of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’. It is organised by the Ministry of Education as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

The programme aims to celebrate, reaffirm, and rediscover age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi — two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning.

The Railway Minister also reviewed the redevelopment plans of the Varanasi Junction Railway Station. He suggested planning the station redevelopment keeping in mind the future traffic increase.

The Minister said making the Varanasi Junction Railway Station world-class is in line with the Prime Minister's vision of making the railway station look like an airport terminal. He added that about Rs 7,000 crore would be spent revamping the station to make it one of the best in the world.

Vaishnaw said the redevelopment would be done planning 50 years ahead. To ease the heavy footfall of passengers across stations in Varanasi city, integrated development of all the railway stations in the region will be taken up.

Kashi Tamil Sangamam has offered an opportunity to people from all walks of life, including scholars, students, philosophers, traders, artisans, and artists, from the two regions to come together, share their knowledge, culture, and best practices, and learn from each others’ experiences.

More than 2,500 delegates from Tamil Nadu visited Kashi. They participated in seminars and site visits to interact with local people of similar trade, profession, and interest.

A month-long exhibition of handlooms, handicrafts, books, documentaries, cuisine, art forms, history, and tourist places of the two regions was also on show in Kashi.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, and Banaras Hindu University are the two implementing agencies for the Kashi Tamil Sangamam programme.