Luxury rail trains in India

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Indian Railways (IR) and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) provide a variety of luxury rail travel in India. Eight luxury trains are owned and operated by IR, which have decided to introduce luxury Anubhuti coaches on regular trains. The coaches would be similar to those on the Maharajas' Express and the Palace on Wheels.[1]

Name Image Constructed In service Notes Ref
Fairy Queen Rewari Railway Heritage Museum.JPG 1855 A steam locomotive which runs between the Indian capital, New Delhi, and Alwar in Rajasthan. It was certified by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the world's oldest locomotive in regular operation after its restoration to haul a luxury train to increase tourism in Rajasthan. In 1999, the Fairy Queen received a National Tourism Award.[citation needed]
Deccan Odyssey Deccan Odyssey - Full train.jpg Based on the Palace on Wheels to boost tourism on IR's Maharashtra route. The route begins in Mumbai and travels to Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Kolhapur, Belgaon, Solapur, Aurangabad, Ajanta-Ellora Nasik and Pune before returning to Mumbai. [2][3][4]
Golden Chariot March 10, 2008[5] Connects major tourist areas in states of Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry weekly. It is named after the stone chariot at Hampi's Vitthala temple.[6] The train's 19 purple-and-gold coaches bear the logo of a mythological animal with the head of an elephant and the body of a lion. Like the Deccan Odyssey, its amenities are based on the Palace on Wheels. The Golden Chariot is operated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and marketed by Luxury Trains, with hospitality by the Mapple Group.[7][8] The train has 44 cabins in 11 coaches named after dynasties which ruled the region: Kadamba, Hoysala, Rashtrakuta, Ganga, Chalukya, Bahamani, Adil Shahi, Sangama, Satavahana, Yadukula and Vijayanagar. It has two restaurants, a lounge, conference, gym and spa facilities[8][9] and satellite television, and is India's only train with onboard Wi-Fi connectivity.[7]
Mahaparinirvan Express Travels to Buddhist sites in North India.
Maharajas' Express 2010[10] The train had been a joint venture between the Cox and Kings travel company and the IRCTC.[11][12][13][14] The train offers five itineraries,[15] all of which begin or end in Delhi and include a visit to Agra's Taj Mahal. It arrives at a different station each morning for off-rail excursions, including shopping and visits to monuments, heritage sites, palaces, forts and hotels.[16] New itineraries include three pan-Indian journeys and two golden-triangle tours of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. The Maharajas' Express is India's most expensive train.[17]
Palace on Wheels Palace on Wheels Jaipur.jpg August 2009 (refurbished)[18] Introduced by Indian Railways to promote tourism in Rajasthan. The train was refurbished and reintroduced in August 2009 with new decor, itinerary and cuisine. The palace-on-wheels concept derives from the royal background of the coaches, which were intended to be the personal railway coaches of the former rulers of the princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India. Each coach has four cabins (known as chambers or saloons) with twin beds,[19] wall-to-wall carpeting, air-conditioning, satellite television,[20] an intercom, toilets, hot and cold running water and personal attendants.[21]
Royal Orient 1994-95 Runs between Gujarat and Rajasthan, covering important tourist locations in the two states, modelled on the Palace on Wheels.
Royal Rajasthan on Wheels January 2009[22][23] Operated by Indian Railways, is modelled on the Palace on Wheels and follows a similar route through Rajasthan. The train visits several major tourist, wildlife and heritage sites across the state,[24] Attractions visited are the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Ranthambhor National Park, Chittaurgarh Fort, Jag Niwas (Lake Palace), Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Indian Railways to introduce Luxurious Anubhuti Coaches".
  2. ↑ "The Best Luxury Train in India to Travel".
  3. ↑ "The world's top 25 luxury trains - Rediff.com Business". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  4. ↑ The Deccan Odyssey Train
  5. ↑ "Golden Chariot train's first commercial run on March 10". The Times of India. 2008-02-28. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  6. ↑ "The Golden Chariot : Introduction". The Golden Chariot: Official website. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Golden Chariot is a totally wired train". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2008-02-01. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Somashekar, G.R.N. (2008-09-06). "Rajavilas on rails". The Hindu. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  9. ↑ "Golden Chariot: Facilities". Golden Chariot: Official website. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  10. ↑ Boler, Sandra (2010-04-03). "A carriage through India". The Independent.
  11. ↑ "Supreme Court Dismisses plea against Maharaja Express". Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  12. ↑ Gupta, Jayanta (2010-03-19). "1 lakh a night on Maharajas' Express". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  13. ↑ Ghosh, Dwaipayan (5 October 2009). "For Rs 1 lakh a day, travel like a maharaja". The Times of India. India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  14. ↑ India's Maharajas' Express rail journey,
  15. ↑ "Maharaja Express Train Tour, Luxury Train Travel, Online Ticket Booking, Fare, Route, Maharaja's Timings, Schedule, Departure Dates, Images". Maharajas' Express by Yatra. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "Maharajas' Express Train".
  17. ↑ "Billed as Asia's costliest luxury train". The Times of India. 2010-04-03. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  18. ↑ "New-look Palace on Wheels set to chug off on Aug 5". The Times of India. August 2, 2009. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011.
  19. ↑ See the "chambers"
  20. ↑ "Watch Dish TV on Palace on Wheels". DNA.
  21. ↑ Though the word खिदमतगार - khiḍhmatgār (servant, steward) is used by the company, it is there to evoke a luxurious past.
  22. ↑ "Royal Rajasthan on Wheels to be launched in Dec". The Times of India. 26 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012.
  23. ↑ "Railways to launch Royal Rajasthan on Wheels". HT Mint.
  24. ↑ "News By Industry". The Times Of India. 6 September 2010.

External links[edit]

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