DID YOU KNOW?
THERE ARE :
· 42 RAJDHANI EXPRESS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 28 SHATABDI EXPRESS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 109 SPECIAL TRAINS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 6 LUXURY TRAINS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 38 JAN SHATABDIS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 58 GARIB-RATHS / YUVAS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 28 DURONTO RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 10 TOURISM TRAINS RUNS IN “INDIA”
· 4 TOY / HILL TRAINS RUNS IN “INDIA”
LUXURY TRAINS
THE FAIRY QUEEN : 1855, The year when the majestic Fairy Queen rolled out for the erstwhile East Indian Railway. For the first time after 1908, the Fairy Queen rolled again on Feb. 1st, 1997 from Delhi to Alwar. The steam engine is the oldest working engine in the world. Finding its pride of place in the Guinness Book of World Records and also capturing the National Tourism Award, this prestigious pristine beauty that graces the National Rail Museum, New Delhi, is steaming once again. |
THE DECCAN ODYSSEY : is a special train modeled on the Palace on Wheels to boost tourism on the Konkan route. The route starts in Mumbai (Bombay) and travels to Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Belgaum, Kolhapur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ajanta-Ellora, and then back to Mumbai. It is a venture of the Maharashtra Government and Ministry of Railway, Government of India Indian Railways. In addition to being a train that touches tourist spots, this aims to be a complete 5-star hotel on wheels, with two restaurants and a bar, a sauna, business centre and other such amenities on board. In 2004, the Maharashtra government stopped its run of the Deccan Odessey, citing poor response, but may restart it after the 2005 monsoons. |
HERITAGE ON WHEELS : Heritage on Wheels is yet another initiative by the Indian Railways to bring tourists closer to Indian culture. In association with the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, the Indian Railways have launched this luxury tourist train. |
PALACE ON WHEELS : The Palace on Wheels was the first of four luxury trains on Indian Railways. It was launched to promote tourism in Rajasthan and has been highly popular since its launch. It is one of the top ten luxury trains in the world and following its success another luxury train is being launched on the same circuit. 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. |
MAHAPARINIRVAN SPECIAL TRAIN : The Mahaparinirvan Express is a special tourist train that takes passengers on a spiritual tour through Buddhist India, where Buddhism originated more than 2,500 years ago. The Mahaparinirvan Express is operated by Indian Railways using carriages from a Rajdhani Express train. This is a fully air conditioned train offering three different classes of travel (first class, two tier, and three tier). It's far from opulent, unlike India's luxury tourist trains, but then again pilgrimages aren't normally associated with luxury! Passengers are greeted with garlands, provided with luggage assistance, and given a welcome gift of a Buddhist guidebook. Security guards are present on the train, and tours are fully guided. |
GOLDEN CHARIOT : he Golden Chariot is a luxury tourist train that connects the important tourist spots in the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa. It is named after the Stone Chariot in the Vitthala Temple at Hampi. The 19 coaches on the train are colored purple and gold, and sport the logo of a mythological animal with the head of an elephant and a body of a lion. The Golden Chariot operates weekly and had its maiden commercial run on March 10, 2008. |
HILL TRAINS |
SHIMLA : Shimla was annexed by the British in 1819 after the Gurkha War. At that time it was known for the temple of Hindu Goddess Shyamala Devi. The Scottish civil servant Charles Pratt Kennedy built the first British summer home in the town in 1822. Lord Amherst, the Governor-General of Bengal from 1823 to 1828, set up a summer camp here in 1827, when there was only one cottage in the town, and only 'half a dozen' when he left that year. The military authorities were skeptic about the narrower gauge of two feet chosen for Kalka-Shimla Railway. They recommended a standard two feet by six inches gauge for mountain and light strategic railways. |
MATHERAN : Matheran Hill Railway is a heritage railway in Maharashtra, India. It was built between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy, financed by his father Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy of Adamjee Group at the cost of Rs.16, 00,000. Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy was son of a renowned businessman Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy of Bombay, who visited Matheran often and wanted to build a railway to make it easier to get there. Hussain's plans for the railway were formulated in 1900 and construction started in 1904. The line was open to traffic by 1907. |
DARJEELING : Darjeeling is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, in the Shivalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya, at an average elevation of 6,982 ft (2,128 m). During the British Raj in India, Darjeeling's temperate climate led to its development as a hill station (hill town) for British residents to escape the heat of the plains during the summers, becoming known as the Summer Capital. Darjeeling is internationally famous for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tea plantations date back to the mid 19th century as part of a British development of the area. Darjeeling has several British-style public schools, which attract students from many parts of India and neighboring countries. The town, along with neighboring Kalimpong was a major center for the demand of a separate Gorkhaland state in the 1980s, the democratic movement for a separate state has begun again, this time without any accompanying violence. |
OOTY : Ooty is situated in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Ooty stands at an approximate height of 9,080 feet (2,767 m) above sea level. Many of the forested areas and water bodies are off limits to most visitors in order to protect this fragile ecosystem. Some areas of the Biosphere Reserve have been earmarked for Tourism Development, and steps are being undertaken to open these areas to visitors whilst conserving the area. Generally tourists are encouraged to observe any local signage and not to enter reserved forests and protected areas. Much of Ooty has already been damaged by rampant commercialization as a result of tourism. |
