Luxury trains in India

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About Luxury trains in India:

India has four luxury trains — Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Golden Chariot and Maharaja Express.

The train’s royal origins give it its name ‘Palace on Wheels’.
Its carriages once seated the rulers of princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India.
These luxurious coaches lay abandoned post-Independence till 1981-82, when the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways launched a special heritage train for tourists visiting Rajasthan.
A Broad Guage version of the Palace On Wheels was introduced in 1996.

This luxury train was introduced by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).
The first proposal to launch a deluxe train tour in Maharashtra was made in 2001 and, accordingly, the MTDC and Indian Railways signed an MoU in the same year to turn this proposal into a reality.
In 2003, the ‘Blue Limousine On Wheels’, as it is named, was ready. On January 19, 2004, the inaugural journey of the train set off from CST Mumbai.

An MoU signed between the Karnataka State Tourism and Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Indian Railways in 2002 resulted in the Golden Chariot, south India’s first luxury train.
The luxury train was named after the famous stone chariot in Hampi.
In 2008, the then President Pratibha Patil gave a ceremonial presidential flag-off to the Golden Chariot at Yeshwanthpur Railway Station.
On March 10, 2008, Golden Chariot chugged on its maiden voyage from Bengaluru to Goa, making its way through the picturesque destinations of Karnataka.

The Maharajas Express made its maiden voyage called ‘Gems of India’ on October 17, 2012.
The train draws inspiration from the private saloons of the erstwhile Maharajas’ of India.
The three-night-four-day journey, touring the ‘Golden Triangle’ covering Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, first began at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Railway Station.

Source : Indian Express