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]
Indian Railways (IR) is India's national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with 67,368-kilometre (41,861 mi) route.. Routes are electrified with 25 kV AC electric traction while thirty three percent of them are double or multi-tracked.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the Indian railways, with around 5,50,000 to 6,00,000Template:MOS:DIGITS bookings every day is the world's second busiest and highest of 15 to 16 lakh tickets every day. Its tagline is "Lifeline of the nation".
Luxury trains are designed to offer a very comfortable ride and evoke an association with history and heritage. Operating in several countries, they are a premium travel option. Although some luxury trains promote tourism in destinations across a continent, others take passengers on a long, leisurely ride through a single country.
The Fairy Queen is a steam locomotive which runs between the Indian capital, New Delhi, and Alwar in Rajasthan. Built in 1855, 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 ]
The Fairy Queen, also known as the East Indian Railway Nr. 22, is an 1855-built steam locomotive, restored by Loco Works Perambur, Chennai in 1997 and housed at the Rewari Railway Heritage Museum. It occasionally runs between New Delhi and Alwar. In 1998 it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest steam locomotive in regular service. The Fairy Queen runs on the same route as the Palace on Wheels, the tourist train launched in 1982, and in 1999 was awarded a National Tourism Award.
New Delhi is an urban district of Delhi which serves as the capital of India and seat of all three branches of the Government of India.
Alwar located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km north of Jaipur, is a city in India's National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. Alwar is a hub of tourism with several forts, lakes, heritage havelis and nature reserves, including the Bhangarh Fort, the Sariska Tiger Reserve and Siliserh lake.
The Deccan Odyssey [2] is 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. [3] [4]
The Deccan Odyssey is a special luxury train based on the model of Palace on Wheels to boost tourism on the Maharashtra route of the Indian Railways. It is a venture of the Maharashtra Government and the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. In addition to being a train that touches tourist spots, this aims to be a complete 5-star hotel on wheels, with two restaurants and a bar, a sauna, business center and other such amenities on board. The coaches fitted with special amenities were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
The Palace on Wheels is a luxury tourist train. It was launched by the Indian Railways in association with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation to promote tourism in Rajasthan.
Maharashtra is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan plateau. It is the second-most populous state and third-largest state by area in India. Spread over 307,713 km2 (118,809 sq mi), it is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana and Chhattisgarh to the east, Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the north west, and Madhya Pradesh to the north. It is also the world's second-most populous subnational entity. It was formed by merging the western and south-western parts of the Bombay State, Berar and Vidarbha, and the north-western parts of the Hyderabad State and splitting Saurashtra by the States Reorganisation Act. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population around 18 million making it the most populous urban area in India. Nagpur hosts the winter session of the state legislature. Pune is known as 'Oxford of the East' due to the presence of several well-known educational institutions.
The weekly Golden Chariot connects major tourist areas in states of Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. It is named after the stone chariot at Hampi's Vitthala temple. [5] 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. The Golden Chariot began operating on March 10, 2008. [6] 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]
The Golden Chariot is a luxury tourist train that connects the important tourist spots in the Indian states of Karnataka, Goa, Kerala & Tamil Nadu as well as Pondicherry, depending on the selected itinerary. It is named after the Stone Chariot in the Vitthala Temple at Hampi. The 19 coaches on the train are coloured purple and gold, and sport the logo of a mythological animal with the head of an elephant and a body of a lion. The Golden Chariot is operating between the months of October–March for 2015/16 season with a departure every week, on Monday and had its maiden commercial run on 10 March 2008. The train, along with the Deccan Odyssey, is designed on the lines of the more popular Palace on Wheels with accommodations, spa treatments and dining. It has been awarded the title of "Asia's Leading Luxury Train" at World Travel Awards, 2013 The train is operated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and The Maple Group handles the hospitality services on the train.
Karnataka is a state in the south western region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state corresponds to the Carnatic region. The capital and largest city is Bangalore (Bengaluru).
Kerala is a state on the southwestern, Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the twenty-second largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea and Arabian Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.
The Mahaparinirvan Express travels to Buddhist sites in North India.
The Mahaparinirvan Express is a tourist train which was launched by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on 28 March 2007, to attract Buddhist pilgrims. The train takes passengers on an eight-day, seven-night spiritual tour which visits Buddhist sites across North India.
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indus-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central Asia.
The IRCTC's Maharajas' Express has been in operation since early 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]
The Maharajas' Express is a luxury tourist train owned and operated by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. It runs on 5 circuits covering more than 12 destinations across North-West and Central India, mainly centered on Rajasthan between the months of October and April.
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. It is bordered by Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh to the east. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, the second-highest in India after Mumbai, while the whole NCT's population was about 16.8 million. Delhi's urban area is now considered to extend beyond the NCT boundaries and include the neighboring satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Sonipat, Ghaziabad and Noida in an area now called Central National Capital Region (CNCR) and had an estimated 2016 population of over 26 million people, making it the world's second-largest urban area according to United Nations. As of 2016, recent estimates of the metro economy of its urban area have ranked Delhi either the most or second-most productive metro area of India. Delhi is the second-wealthiest city in India after Mumbai, with a total private wealth of $450 billion and is home to 18 billionaires and 23,000 millionaires.
Agra is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is 378 kilometres (235 mi) west of the state capital, Lucknow, 206 kilometres (128 mi) south of the national capital New Delhi, 58 kilometres (31 mi) south of Mathura and 125 kilometres (78 mi) north of Gwalior. Agra is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh, and the 24th most populous in India.
The Palace on Wheels was also introduced by Indian Railways to promote tourism in Rajasthan. The train was refurbished and reintroduced in August 2009 with new decor, itinerary and cuisine. [18] 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]
The Royal Orient is another luxury train.
The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels , 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, [22] and was introduced in January 2009. [23] [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.
