PATNA: The Commonwealth Games special exhibition train, which was flagged off by railway minister Mamata Banerjee on June 24 from Delhi Safdarjung station, is reaching Patna Junction on Wednesday.
It will be stabled on platform No. 9 at Patna Junction till Thursday to facilitate people to have a close look inside this specially designed Commonwealth Games train.
According to divisional railway manager (DRM), Danapur, Gyan Prakash Srivastava, the objective behind running this special train is to create awareness among common people about the importance of the Games which is being held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14 this year. The train has been conceived on the pattern of Sanskriti Express. Entry to it will be completely free for the viewers during these two days, the DRM said.
According to Danapur PRO Ranjit Kumar Singh, the train gives a vivid depiction of the Games to be held in New Delhi, its schedule and venues in detail.
The train has 11 coaches of which five have been allocated to the Railway Sports Promotion Board to showcase the history of the Games.
The PRO said that the highlight of the special train is that it depicts the history of the Games beginning way back in 1930 at Hamilton in Canada. How this particular games became popular among Commonwealth countries has been beautifully depicted in this exhibition train. Besides, the railways has tastefully decorated these coaches with unique colours, he said.
According to the PRO, each coach has special features. The coach-1 depicts the history of the Games right from its beginning to the recent time. Interestingly, the Games was held under the nomenclature of British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954. However, it became British Commonwealth Games in 1970. It was later known as Commonwealth Games since 1978 onwards reflecting equality of all member nations. Known as Friendly Games too, the Games is held among a family of nations sharing common history and language (English), he said.
The Games’ mascot is Shera this year as it is being held in New Delhi. The Queen’s Baton has been on display in this special train keeping in mind the fact that its journey started from Buckingham Palace on October 29, 2009.
The Games events have been showcased in the coach-2 where dummy models of stadium will be on display to give an idea to viewers about arrangements of the Games. The coach-3 depicts all those events which have been included for the first time in the 19th Commonwealth Games.
According to the PRO, the coach-4 has been dedicated to the outstanding sportspersons of the country. Their portraits and achievements have been put on display in the coach. The coach-5 showcases talented sportspersons of the Indian Railways who represented the country at the national and international level and won medals for the country. This coach highlights awards, prizes and medals won by the railway sportspersons for the country, he said, adding six other coaches highlights achievements of the Information Technology (IT) department.
This special train will stop at 49 places across the country before it returns to Delhi on September 30, the DRM said.