Railway Reservation – Check Indian Railways Pnr Status, Seat Avalibility, Routes

Indian Railways has been continuously striving to up their services and they have been quiet successful in that. One of the things that they have looking at has been to get as much as international tourists use the Indian railways. They have been fairly successful in it; foreigners on an increasing numbers are actually making use of the Indian Railways. But beyond that they need something that will provide the essence of India, the culture, the cuisine and with that purpose in mind the luxury trains were started off in India. It was a single train thing, but now they have almost 4 trains which run on similar lines. Let’s look at all the four of them.

1) Palace on wheels – this is the oldest luxury train in India, launched in the year 1982 it has been a pioneer for all luxury trains. The train flags of from Delhi and covers whole of Rajasthan beginning from Jaipur and ending at Agra. The complete journey takes close to 8 days. The Coaches are named after the 14 Rajputana states and they have two restaurants Maharaja and Maharani which caters to Chinese, continental and Indian food. A bar which has ample supply of alcohol ranging from Indian to international taste, a reading hall with a plethora of books. The success of the original palace on wheels led to few other luxury trains in India.

2) The next on the list of luxury trains is the Deccan Odyssey. This runs through the heart of Maharashtra and Goa and is flagged off from Mumbai. The Deccan odyssey covers Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Pune, Aurangabad, Ajanta caves and Nashik. The two famed restaurant on the Odyssey is the Peshwa I and Peshwa II also a bar both of which caters to wide range of cuisine and alcohol. Apart from that you have a massage centre and a gym to cater to the needs of the passengers.

3) Royal Rajasthan on wheels again is a luxury train on the heartlands of Rajasthan. This also has few places which are common along with the original palace on wheels. The travel duration for this luxury train is also almost close to 8 days and is flagged of from Delhi. It carries you through the best places in Rajasthan, where you can sight see a lot of tourist attractions, eat the most amazing Indian cuisines and shop to the heart’s content.

4) The last of the luxury trains that we have in India is the Fairy Queen. This however is for a shorter duration of two days and 1 night. This luxury train covers Delhi, Alwar and the popular wild life sanctuary Sariska. On reaching Sariska you are treated with a jeep safari of the sanctuary. This train service is available only during the months of October to March. During these months it runs on every 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of the month.

Luxury trains were started off with the intentions of getting maximum tourist attractions, in fact it was not available for Indian nationals however now even they are allowed on Luxury trains.

Most of the Indians would agree if asked how they wish to get their journey done. Pat, the answer would be Indian railways. Travelling by Indian Railways is a pleasure indeed, especially now with upgraded services and facilities. But beyond this, imagine traveling in Indian railways and getting the luxuries of a 5 star hotel, well we have train of such a kind and have been rightly called as “Palace on wheels”.

History

Palace on wheels happened when both the tourism industry and the Railways industry joined hands together and decided to come up with something so spectacular that would give a boost to both the industries. On 26^th January, the republic day of 1982 this luxury train was launched with much fanfare. The idea behind this was to promote tourism for the state of Rajasthan. The original palace of wheels runs through the breadth and the length of Rajasthan and has been catering to a lot of national and international tourists. Looking at the success of this, many other luxury trains started in other parts of India as well. The inspiration of this idea came from the railway coaches of the princes from the states of Hyderabad, Rajputana etc.

Facilities

There are almost 14 coaches on this luxury train, and the name of each coach belongs to the old names of Rajput states. Even the interiors and the decors match up to the past of the royalty. The train has a bar with choices of alcohol ranging from Indian to International taste, a library with a huge collection of books. Apart from that each coach has different cabins, and each cabin is air conditioned with two beds, Music channel, DTH, attached toilets which has the provision of hot and cold water and also an intercom. With regards to cuisine, the train serves all kind of foods ranging from Chinese to continental to Indian, and this is served at two of their hotels, the Maharaja and the Maharani.

Route

Well, as said before the palace on wheels covers the complete district of Rajasthan. It takes almost 8 days to finish the journey and the source station is Delhi. From Delhi it stops at various places like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur, Bharathpur, Agra and Chittaurgarh though not in this specific order. Each place has its unique charm and essentially portrays the culture of Rajasthan. At the launch, this luxury trains was thrown open only to foreigners but now Indians are also allowed in this train.

Information

People who are planning to spend their vacation in a very luxurious manner can think of this option as well. More details of this can be acquired by checking this site http://www.palaceonwheels.net. This site will give you a fair idea of the facilities and other features. In fact if need be you can also take a look at the pictures and decide. It will also give you a detailed itenary.

Palace on wheels gives you a luxury which has been almost craved for, along with the charm of Indian railways.

Heritage on Wheels is the luxury train that runs on meter gauge and presents the opportunity to explore the regions of Bikaner and Shekhawati in the state of Rajasthan. The tour of 4 days and 3 nights takes oneself to the exotic and majestic places of Jaipur, Bikaner and Shekahwati region.

The itinerary of the Heritage on Wheels basically covers the Shekhawati Region, Bikaner, Nawalgarh,  Ramgarh (Mahansar),  Mandawa that includes sanctuaries like Gajner and Tal Chhapar.  It will depart twice in a week on Tuesday and Friday from Jaipur and will return back on Friday/Monday morning to Jaipur respectively.

The Tariff per person per night for Single Occupancy is 300 US Dollar, Double Occupancy is 200 Dollar and Triple Occupancy is 150 Dollar. The tariff is half for the children between the 5 to 12 years.  RTDC also offered the Pre and Post seeing the sights of Jaipur on nominal cost.

Indian Luxury Trains:  The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels

The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels is a luxury tourist train administered by the Indian Railways. It is designed as per the model of the Palace on Wheels and it covers the similar route across the Rajasthan. It provides the tourists the opportunity to experience the many significant wildlife and heritage sites in Rajasthan.

It was launched recently in January 2009 after the success of the Palace on Wheels and offers the alternative option of another luxury train that traverses across the popular tourist destinations of Rajasthan.

This luxury train offers the tour of 7-day and 8-night across Rajasthan. It departs from New Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station and covers the tourist destinations at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur and Agra.

This train covers world class tourist attractions including the Ranthambhor National Park, the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Sheesh Mahal, Moti Mahal, Chittaurgarh Fort, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Jag Niwas (Lake Palace), the Agra Fort and finally the Taj Mahal.

The Palace on Wheels proudly boasts of the fact that it was the first luxury train of India. It was launched basically for promoting tourism in the state of Rajasthan and today it is being regarded as one of the top ten luxury trains across the world.

The Palace on Wheels is highly popular for its delightful and captivating journey through the former era of the royal heritage and rule of Maharajas in Rajasthan. It presents the memorable tour of 8 days / 7 nights to famous tourist attractions of Rajasthan. The success of Palace on Wheels inspires the launch of another luxury train known as Royal Rajasthan on Wheels on the same route.

The Palace on Wheels was inaugurated on January 26, 1982 on the occasion of Republic Day of India. The concept and theme of this luxury train is based on the royal architecture of its compartments that resembles to that of palaces and forts of Rajasthan.

The Palace on Wheels consists of 14 coaches and each is named after bygone Rajput states. Each such coach reflects the interiors and aesthetics of the royal past.  Apart from the mesmerizing architecture and interior design, other facilities include a bar containing the world class Indian and international spirits, a well equipped lounge with a great collection of books, televisions and DVD players.

All the cabins of this luxury train are air-conditioned and possess amenities like twin beds, intercom, channel music and attached toilets with running hot and cold water. Apart from that the train comprises of two lavish restaurants which are popularly known as “The Maharaja” and “The Maharani”.  These restaurants portray the Rajasthani ambience and serve range of cuisines including Chinese, Indian continental, and Rajasthani cuisines.

The palace on wheels departs from New Delhi and travels around Rajasthan covering famous tourist destination like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra during its eight day journey.

Tariff

Tariff for season 2008-2009 per person per night are as follows :

Single Occupancy : The charges during from October to March is US $ 560 and from April to September is US $ 415.

Double Occupancy : The charges during from October to March is US $ 419 and from April to September is US $ 322.

Triple Occupancy : The charges during from October to March is US $ 340 and from April to September is US $ 260.

The Fairy Queen was constructed in 1855 and today it boasts of the world’s oldest steam locomotive that is in regular operation. This train provides the journey of a 2 days and 1 night tour from Delhi to cover Alwar and Sariska and ends at Delhi.

The train which is being pulled by Fairy Queen Locomotive is capable for accommodating thirty-eight passengers and the tariff for the two days entertaining journey is Rs. 7,500 per adults and Rs. 3,750 per children.

This locomotive was awarded the Guinness Book of World Records Certification as the world’s oldest working locomotive on 13.01.98 and Prime Minister of India honored it with National Tourism award on 25.01.99 for the most innovative & unique tourism project.

The Rajasthan government started operating it in the year 2004 for a deluxe train with the purpose of enhancing tourism in the area. The Fairy Queen is operating on the tracks of the Palace on Wheels.  The Fairy Queen was built in England in 1855 and later brought to Calcutta in the same year where it was given name as the Fairy Queen.

The East Indian Railway gave it the serial number 22 and was operated to line construction duty in Bihar till 1909. The fairy queen locomotive was restored to complete working in 1997 in the preparation for its first mainline journey in 88 years and its come back to commercial service that year.

The Weight of the fairy Queen engine is 26 tonnes, Coal Tender is 2 tonnes, Water Capacity is

3000 liters (under slung water tank), Horse Power is 130, Gauge is 5 ft. 6 inch or 1.67 m (Broad Gauge), Wheel arrangement is 2-2-2 Driving wheel diameter 1800 mm, Maximum Speed is

40 Kmph, Cylinders are 2 outside (12 inch x 22 inch).

The Royal Orient Train is an Indian luxury tourism train that operates between two Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Its itinerary is designed to cover the significant tourist destinations in these two states. It is designed on the lines of extraordinary Palace on Wheels and provides tourists a flavor of royal luxury while highlighting the best of Indian culture and heritage.

This train started operations in the year 1994-95 as a joint undertaking of the Indian Railways and the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. Efforts were made to ensure that this train presents its unique features that distinguish it from the Palace on Wheels.

In the initial years of its operations this train did not perform well which saw the passenger occupancy declining from 25 percent to 15 percent subsequently.  In the year 2007 complete revamp of things led to the improvement in the passenger occupancy of the train.

The Royal Orient Train consists of 13 coaches which are the names of the former kingdoms of Rajputana. The coaches of this train offer five-star hotel amenities to passengers. Cabins are furnished in an extravagant style and possess attached spacious baths. Multi-cuisine restaurants host of Indian as well International cuisines like Gujarati, Rajasthani, Chinese, Indian, and continental cuisine.

The Royal Orient train consists of a bar on board, luxurious lounge for reading books and magazines, listening to music, watching television and socializing with other passengers. In addition to that it also contain an intercom, massage-cum-beauty parlor, channel music, TV, DVD system, etc.

The Royal Orient train presents a 7-day and 8-night package covering significant heritage tourist locations in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The train departs from Delhi and halts at numerous heritage sites in between like Jaipur, Chittorgarh, Veraval, Ahmedabad, Udaipur,Mehsana, Sarkhej , Sasangi, Palitana, Ahmedpur, Mandvi, and Junagarh.

Magnificient tourist spots covered by this train includes the Qutub Minar, Chittorgarh Fort, Lake Palace in Udaipur, Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi, and Rani Padmini’s Palace in Chittorgarh, Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, etc

The Golden Chariot is an Indian luxury tourist train that links the significant tourist spots in the Karnataka and Goa states of India. It was named after the Stone Chariot at Hampi in the Vitthala Temple. The unique feature of this train is that its 19 coaches are colored in gold and purple and bears the logo of a legendary animal that has a body of a lion and the head of an elephant.

The Golden Chariot runs once a week and was inaugurated on 10^th March, 2008. This train is structured on the same lines as that of the widely popular Palace on Wheels. It has world class amenities as reflected from outstanding accommodations, dining and spa treatments. The train is administered by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation. It is marketed by the Luxury Trains and hospitality services are handled by the Mapple Group.

The Golden Chariot provides a 7-day and 8-night tour of magnificent tourist places including Bangalore, Mysore, Hospet, Kabini, Hassan, Badami and Goa.  Major tourist destinations covered by this train includes the Mysore Palace, Nagarhole National Park, Hoysaleswara Temple, Srirangapatna forts, Gomateshwara and the Badami Cave Temples.

Starting October, 2009, the Golden Chariot will also offer an extended two week tour that will cover Coimbatore, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, and Kochi during the second week. The Golden chariot has the capacity of accommodating 88 passengers

The Golden Chariot provides accommodation in 44 cabins of the 11 coaches which are named after various dynasties including Kadamba, Rashtrakuta, Ganga, Satavahana, Chalukya, Vijayanagar. Yadukula Bahamani, Hoysala, Adil Shahi and Sangama.

This train possesses two restaurants, a conference, and lounge bar, gym and spa facilities. This train is also technologically savvy as it has onboard Wi-Fi connectivity as well as satellite antennae that provide live television service in the cabins.

The Deccan Odyssey is a exceptional luxury train designed on the Palace on Wheels to enhance tourism on the Konkan railway route of the Indian Railways. This train departs from Mumbai and covers the various regions including Ratnagiri, Jaigadh, Ganapatipule, Sindhudurg, Tarkarli, Sawantwadi , Goa, Belgaum, Kolhapur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ajanta-Ellora and then back to Mumbai.

It is administered by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India and Maharashtra Government. Apart from offering world class luxurious comforts and sightseeing at various tourist spots, this train provides complete 5-star hotel amenities on wheels. It includes two restaurants and a bar, business centre, a sauna and a host of other such facilities on board.

The duration of the exemplary tour of life time experience is 7 nights. The train departs every Wednesday from Mumbai and months of operation are from October to March. This lavish train demands a lot of renovation and preservation and thus it does not continue its operations in the six months from April to September.

Lean Season includes the time period between September 2008 & 2009 to April 2009 & 2010 and peak season includes October-2008 to March-2009 & October 2009 to March 2010

The Foreign Tariff Chart of per Person per Night includes the following fares

For Deluxe cabin : Single occupancy fare in the lean season is US $ 415 and it is US $ 510 in the peak season, Doulbe occupancy fare in the lean season is US $ 320 and it is US $ 390 in the peak season, Triple occupancy fare in the lean season is US $ 260 and it is US $ 320 in the peak season.

For presidential suite: Single occupancy fare in the lean season is US $ 750 and it is US $ 950 in the peak season, Doulbe occupancy fare in the lean season is US $ 550 and it is US $ 700 in the peak season, Presidential suite extra occupancy fare in the lean season is US $ 240 and it is US $ 285 in the peak season.

Indian Railways Luxury Trains provides the opportunity to travel to eminent tourist destinations in India. In addition to the passenger trains, luxury trains of the Indian Railways offer high-tech luxury and comforts on the wheels. Their routes includes journey to exotic and world class tourist destinations throughout the country.

These trains cost a bit higher as compared to the charges of other passengers trains however the breath taking journey and the state of the art facilities offered by these trains is worth their fare.  They are designed to focus manly on the travel to popular tourist destinations in India.  With their superlative luxury, top notch libraries, outstanding recreational facilities and exemplary customer service, these Luxury Trains brings along the experience of a life time for the tourists.

Indian Railways Luxury Trains that are available for the tourists are as follows:

(1) Palace on Wheels

(2) Heritage on Wheels

(3) Deccan Odyssey

(4) Fairy Queen

(5) Royal Orient

(6) Shekhawati Train

(7) Golden Chariot

India’s tourist destinations comprises of numerous royal forts and historical palaces. Luxury trains offer the journey filled with pleasure and comfort within the shortest time span possible. Indian Luxury Trains showcase the rich cultural heritage of India and depicts the grand splendid lifestyle of the great Indian rulers.

The luxury trains in India takes the passengers on the memorable journey of experiencing extravagant and lavish comforts on wheels. The well facilitated coaches ensure the luxurious stay throughout the journey. Apart from the unique architecture, the incredible hospitality and warmth of these trains leave the passengers spellbound.

Luxury trains in India exhibits a phenomenal extravaganza of visiting various heritage architectures including grand Palaces, forts, monuments, etc.  Every luxury train reflects an ethnic theme wonderfully by creating the grandeur atmosphere everywhere in the trains including cabins, the color schemes, the décor, the upholstery, the furniture, the restaurants as well as the lounge areas.