Lucknow, Jun 25 (IANS): President Ram Nath Kovind will arrive in Kanpur on Friday evening by a special train.

It would be after a gap of 15 years that an incumbent President is travelling by a train.

This is also the first time that the President is visiting his birthplace after assuming office.

Kovind left Delhi in the afternoon from the Safdarjung railway station and will make two stop-overs, at Jhinjhak and Rura of Kanpur Dehat, where he will interact with his old acquaintances from school days.

The train will reach Jhinjhak around 6 pm on Friday and after a brief stopover, the train will reach Kanpur at around 7.45 pm.

The President will stay at the Circuit House in Kanpur.

On Saturday, Kovind will meet Ministers, MPs, legislators and eminent citizens in the Circuit House.

The following day, on Sunday, he will visit his village Paraunkh by a helicopter and also a temple, school and meet his old acquaintances.

On Monday, the President will come to Lucknow where he will stay at the Raj Bhawan.

Kovind will board the train at the Kanpur Central railway station to reach Lucknow for his two-day visit to the state capital.

Official sources said that the President will return to New Delhi on a special flight on Tuesday.

Unprecedented security arrangements have been made all along the route of travel and in Kanpur and Lucknow for the Presidential visit.

Last time, a President travelled by train was in 2006 when APJ Abdul Kalam boarded a special train from Delhi to Dehradun to attend the passing-out parade of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) cadets.