Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday announced a new train service between Kashi and Tamil Nadu to commemorate the ongoing Kashi Tamil Sangamam being held here.
The Kashi Tamil Sangamam Express will be announced soon, he said.
Vaishnaw interacted with delegates from Tamil Nadu who were invited to the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, and also inspected the redevelopment plan of Varanasi Junction Railway Station, according to an official statement.
The minister said the station will be developed into a world-class facility in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making railway stations resemble airport terminals.
Close to Rs 7,000 crore will be spent in revamping the station, he said, adding the redevelopment will be done keeping the next 50 years in mind.
He said in order to ease the heavy footfall of passengers at railway stations in Varanasi city, integrated development of all the railway stations in the region will be carried out.
Vaishnaw also said the manufacturing of Vande Bharat sleeper trains will commence soon.
Kashi Tamil Sangamam is a month-long programme organised by the Ministry of Education as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Delegates from various walks of life are invited to witness this festival in Kashi.
The Ministry of Railways and IRCTC ferried the delegates to Kashi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya, the statement said.