Commonwealth Express to be flagged off tomorrow

A special exhibition train to promote Commonwealth Games will be flagged off by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi on Thursday.

The Commonwealth Express comprising 11 coaches will leave for Amritsar to coincide with the arrival of Queen's Baton in the country from Pakistan on June 25.

The special exhibition train, a joint venture between the Railway Ministry and the Information and Technology Ministry, will travel to each state and have about 50 stoppages at selected stations across the country.

Besides Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and officials from the Organising Committee, Railway Ministry and IT Ministry are expected to attend the flagging off ceremony.

Commonwealth Express with its colourful coaches will be carrying detailed exhibits of Commonwealth Games.

Railways' contribution to sports and its achievements in the sports arena will be showcased in the train.

While railways will have five coaches, IT will showcase its achievements in six coaches.

"We have prepared the schedule of the train keeping the Queen's Baton journey in the country. There will be stoppage at those stations where the baton will also reach," said the official.

The baton is expected to return the capital on September 30. Railways is the lead partner of the Commonwealth Games.

IRCTC, a PSU of railways is the official ticketing agency of the Games.

The train will carry the Commonwealth Games logo along with that of Indian Railways. Railways will publicise the detailed schedule of the train movement and its timings so that people can visit and see the exhibition.