PALACE ON WHEELS TRAIN BEGINS ITS
JOURNEY ON SEPTEMBER 3
The super luxury
Palace-on-Wheels train, a joint venture of Indian Railways and
Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, begins its commercial
operation from September 3, 2003. It will terminate on the last
Wednesday of April 2004.
The Palace-on-Wheels
train, which comprises 22 coaches including two power cars, provides
a splendid and enchanting royal journey through the bygone era
of the erstwhile Maharajas of Rajasthan, the Taj and Fatehpur
Sikri in eight days and seven nights. It starts every Wednesday
at 6.30 p.m. from Delhi Cantt. Station and returns there on next
Wednesday morning.
During its eight-day
journey in royal splendour, the Palace-on-Wheels takes tourists
to the Pink City of Jaipur, Jaisalmer (the jewel of desert), majestic
Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur for the wilderness of Ranthambore National
Park, divinely enchanting Chittaurgarh, Udaipur with its picturesque
lakes and palaces, Bharatpur with its lively Keoladeo Ghana bird
sanctuary, the red stone city of Fatehpur Sikri and, the Taj Mahal
in Agra.
The 14 coaches
of the Palace-on-Wheels, each coach named after the princely states
of Alwar, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Bundi, Dholpur, Durgapur, Jaisalmer,
Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Kota, Sirohi and Udaipur,
has typical ambience of grandeur and royalty of the respective
Maharajas.
The Palace-on-Wheels
train, first started in January 1982, has carried 37591 tourists
in 611 trips upto April 2003.
It is a flagship
of India’s tourism and a last word in personalized hospitality,
care and comfort.
