Palace on Wheels

Palace on Wheels
पैलेस ऑन व्हील्स
Logo of the Palace on Wheels
Entered service 26 January 1982 (1982-01-26)
Operator(s) Indian Railways
Line(s) served New Delhi - Jaipur - Udaipur - Bharatpur - Agra - New Delhi
Palace on Wheels at Jaipur railway station.

The Palace on Wheels is a luxury tourist train. It was launched by the Indian Railways in association with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation to promote tourism in Rajasthan.[1]

The train service was refurbished and relaunched in August 2009 with a new decor, itinerary and cuisine.[2] It was voted the 4th luxurious train in the world in 2010.[3]

History

The Palace on Wheels started on 26 January 1982.[4]

The concept of the Palace on Wheels was derived from the royal background of the coaches, which were originally meant to be the personal railway coaches of the erstwhile rulers of the princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India.[5][6][7]

Interiors

Each saloon highlights the cultural ethos of the state, represented through the use of furniture, handicrafts, painting and furnishings. Delhi-based interior designer Monica Khanna did the interiors of the train.[8]

Facilities

There are 23 coaches in the train. 104 tourists can travel in train. Each coach is named after former Rajput states and matches the aesthetics and interiors of the royal past: Alwar, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Bundi, Dholpur, Dungargarh, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Kota, Sirohi and Udaipur.[9] Each coach has four cabins (named chambers or saloons by the company) with luxury amenities and Wi-Fi internet.[10][11] The train has two restaurants, The Mahārāja and The Mahārāni, with a Rajasthani ambience serving continental, Chinese cuisine, one bar cum lounge, 14 saloons and a spa.[11]

The Palace on Wheels at a halt in Agra

Route

The train has a 7 nights & 8 days itinerary departs from New Delhi (Day 1), and covers Jaipur (Day 2), Sawai Madhopur and Chittaurgarh (Day 3), Udaipur (Day 4), Jaisalmer (Day 5), Jodhpur (Day 6), Bharatpur and Agra (Day 7), return to New Delhi (Day 9).[12]

Awards and recognition

  • Train got PATA Gold Award in 1987 within few years of its inception. The award is given by Pacific Asia Travel Association(PATA).[6][13]
  • Various TV channels like BBC, MTV, ZEE TV, National Geographic and Discovery channel have covered this train in their various shows.[13]
  • In a survey done by global travel magazine Conde Nast, Palace on Wheels was voted as 4th best luxurious train in the world and best in Asia.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NPalace on wheels - Exclusive Indian train was originally used by royalty". Times of India. 13 October 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "New-look Palace on Wheels set to chug off on Aug 5". Times of India. 2 August 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Palace on Wheels fourth best in the world". The Times Of India. 21 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "thesundayindian Resources and Information". Thesundayindian.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  5. ↑ "From the luxurious Palace on Wheels to the spiritual Mahaparinirvan Express: 8 extraordinary train journeys you must experience with the Indian Railways". IBNLive. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  6. 1 2 "History of the Palace on Wheels | Luxury Train Travel in India". Palacesonwheels.com. 1982-01-26. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  7. ↑ indialuxurytrains.com. "Palace on Wheels Train History, History Of Palace on Wheels, Info About Palace Wheel Train, Rajasthan Luxury Train History". Indialuxurytrains.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  8. ↑ "A lavish touch". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 25 February 2012.
  9. ↑ Have a look at the coaches (four pages)
  10. ↑ "Watch Dish TV on Palace on Wheels". DNA.
  11. 1 2 "feature of world famous royal train palace on wheels". www.bhaskar.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  12. ↑ Train Route
  13. 1 2 https://www.thepalaceonwheels.org/awards-and-recognition.html
  • Website of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (RTDC), a Government Of Rajasthan Undertaking
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