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Maharaja’s Express will initially cover Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata
Luxury on rail redefined
Shruba Mukherjee, New Delhi, DH News Service:
Have a leisurely breakfast amid the magnificent landscape of the Aravali Hills, or go for a jeep safari in Ranthambore.
Explore the erotic architecture at Khajuraho and the next day take a holy dip in the Ganges in Varanasi. And every journey would be King-size.
Come January and the first pan-Indian luxury train Maharaja’s Express will chug out to take you to those destinations which will make one’s life worthwhile.
The first luxury train venture by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, will initially cover tourist destinations connecting three metros—Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.
However, if the venture is successful the train might also cover destinations in the southern part of the country.
“A special 23-coach train is being manufactured in the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai at a cost of Rs 50 crore and it will be managed by Royale Indian Rail Tours Ltd, a joint venture between the IRCTC and Cox and Kings travel company,” IRCTC Managing Director Rakesh Tandon told Deccan Herald. The cost of running the train will be around Rs 30 lakh per day.
“Equipped with every modern amenity and comfort that money can buy or science can create, the Maharaja’s Express is truly the last word in luxury trains. From large LCD screens to next generation environmentally friendly washrooms, each and every facet of this ultra luxury train has been looked into,” Tandon said. All passenger carriages would come with individual temperature controls, the first of its kind in India.
With a passenger capacity of about 80 to 85 the train would have five deluxe cabins, six junior suites and two suites equipped with LCD TV, Direct Dial telephone, digital climate controls, separate sitting rooms and large modern bathrooms with environment-friendly toilet systems.
There would also be a grand Presidential suite with two bed rooms–one with twin beds and one with double bed and a separate sitting-cum-dining room. The green toilet would even have a bath tub. The package would be divided into several categories exploring different destinations. Thus the eight-day-tour of “Princely India” would start from Mumbai and proceed through Vadodara, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Agra and culminate in Delhi.
“Royal India” package would commence from Delhi and take the tourists through Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Vadodara and on the eighth day will reach Mumbai.
The week-long “Celestial India” package commencing from Kolkata will take the Maharaja’s team on a journey meandering through the country’s most renowned religious and Buddhist centres like Gaya and Varanasi.
The tariff, no doubt, will be befitting for the royal journey costing $(US)800 for a deluxe cabin to $(US)2,500 for the presidential suite.
The journey price will include accommodation, all meals, soft beverages, butler services, guided off-train excursions, porterage at stations and all applicable taxes.
Truly luxurious
* The special 23-coach train is being built at a cost of Rs 50 crore * Maharaja’s Express will have all modern and environment-friendly amenities * The train will have five delux cabins, six junior suites and two suites apart from a Presidential suite * The package would be divided into several categories exploring different destinations * The train may cover destinations in South India as well
Explore the erotic architecture at Khajuraho and the next day take a holy dip in the Ganges in Varanasi. And every journey would be King-size.
