At Rs 1 lakh per day, Maharaja Express will be Asia’s costliest train and is set to be flagged off in January. Talks are on with a premium hotel chain to manage the two restaurants and a bar on board.
“The USP of this train , with its 7-star hotel ambience , lies in the fact that while other luxury trains cater to specific locations in Rajasthan , Karnataka and Maharastra, this is the first pan-Indian train that will take tourists across a mix of cultures and expose them to the finest of India cultures ,” said Tandon.
The facilities include individual temperature control system and environment friendly toilets a first in a luxury train – along with live TV, internet, on-board screenings and direct dialing.
With 23 AC coaches , the Maharaja Express will start its seven-day and six-night maiden journey , carting 88 tourists to Delhi, covering Vadodara, Udaipur , Jodhpur , Bikaner, Jaipur, Ranthambore and Agra on the way from VT station on January 9.The train will return to Mumbai from Delhi on January 17.
The trip from the western metropolis to the national capital will be christened “Princely India Journey” while the return journey will be called “Royal India Tour”.
The bookings are overwhelming, an IRCTC official said.” The trail run of the train will be held in December,” he added.
The Delhi –Kolkata route will cover Agra, Gwalier , Khjuraho , Bandhavgarh-varansi and Gaya.The Delhi-Kolkata route will be named” Classical India Journey”, while the return will be the “Celestial India Tour”.
Tourists on both routes may also have the opportunity to have the opportunity to have a glimpse of tigers in the forest that lie on the route. While Ranthambore falls in the Mumbai-Delhi –Mumbai route, Bandhavgarh National Park is on the Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi segment.”The national animal has been a hit among foreign tourists .W hope that these tours will help in its conservation,’ said the IRCTC spokesperson.
Skeptics, however, point out that not many such models expect the Palace on Wheels have done well.” We have given hospitality service to a leading hotel group so that 5-star catering is maintained,” he said. The train will be operational from October to March and the rest of the year it will be used for chartered service, said the official.
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