More luxury on track to follow Palace on Wheels

Himanshi Dhawan / TNN / Jan 2, 2007, 00:23 IST

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The government plans to launch six new trains in the luxury segment.

More luxury on track to follow Palace on Wheels

NEW DELHI: Those who enjoy the languid pace of train travel but relish the comfort of a hotel can now have both. With the Rajasthan Palace on Wheels running on months of advance bookings, the government plans to launch six new trains in the luxury segment.
Three Palace on Wheels will roll out in 2007 itself. Tourism ministry and the railways have cleared a second Palace on Wheels for Rajasthan and one train each for Karnataka and Punjab.The train to Karnataka is likely to cover Bangalore, Hampi, Badami, Hubli and Goa.
These trains will charge $400 per person per night and are touted as the last word in luxury. Tourism ministry officials say that even at these charges, they expect the response to be phenomenal.
In the Palace tradition, these trains will have a personal attendant or Khitmadgar for every saloon, air-conditioned and presidential suites and modern facilities like mobile phones and faxes on demand. They will be decorated in the tradition of the region that the train covers.

For instance, the Rajasthan trains will have miniature paintings, oil paintings and zardozi work on the ceilings and panels of the saloons. The cuisine, officials say, will be an array of traditional Indian food balanced with continental dishes.
P K Goel, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) managing director, said, "These three trains will be on track by 2007-end. We are also planning three other trains in the top-end bracket."

These include Southern Splendour, which will cover all four southern states, a train that will cover the 10 best tourist destinations in the country in association with a private travel company and a Rajasthan-Agra train in a tie-up with a major hotel chain.
The tourist trains being run at present besides the original Palace on Wheels include the 'Heritage on Wheels' that runs in the desert state and 'Deccan Odyssey' that runs in Maharashtra.

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