E-Paper
Royal ride with Maharaja Express
The Orient Express has found its Indian match. Set to roll out from Mumbai on March 6, the Maharajas’ Express, billed among the world’s top luxury trains, promises facilities such as LCD TVs, DVD players, direct dial telephone, and Internet, reports Srinand Jha.
The Orient Express has found its Indian match.
Set to roll out from Mumbai on March 6, the Maharajas’ Express, billed among the world’s top luxury trains, promises facilities such as LCD TVs, DVD players, direct dial telephone, and Internet.
Maharajas’ — partnered by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Cox & Kings — has filtration plant in each wagon, temperature control in every cabin and large bathrooms with environment-friendly toilet systems.
The JV company is called Royale Indian Rail Tours Limited.
Tickets priced at $800, $900, $1,400 and $2,500 per person per night, the Maharajas’ offers four categories of signature journeys — among these a “Princely India” tour from Mumbai to Delhi, through Vadodara, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaipur and Agra and Ranthambhore.
The “Classical India” tour promises to take one on an odyssey exploring treasures of India, including the erotica in the Khajuraho temples, the mysteries of the ancient city of Varanasi, the wilderness of the Bandhavgarh national park and the pilgrimage centre, Bodh Gaya.
But the price of the tickets is coming in the way. “We don’t expect any of the journeys to generate more than 40 per cent occupancy in the first year”, admitted an IRCTC official.
