Shell out Rs 1 lakh to travel on Maharajas' Exp

New Delhi, 12 Mar: Maharajas' Express, the country's first pan-India super luxury train, in which a tourist has to shell out more than Rs 1 lakh per day, is all set to embark on its maiden journey on 20 March from Kolkata.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to flag off the train, the bookings of which are already in progress, said sources in the Railway Ministry.

The state-of-art coaches of the Maharajas' Express, rolled out from ICF Perambur, will have several features which are the first for any luxury trains.

These include individual temperature control system and environment friendly toilet, live TV, internet, in-house movies and direct dialling facilities.

There will be four different categories of carriages in the train - presidential suite (2500), suite (1400) deluxe cabin (900) and junior suite (800).

The signature journey will cover two routes -- one between Delhi and Mumbai, covering places of tourist interest in Gujarat and Rajasthan on its way, and the other between Delhi and Kolkata covering Agra, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Bandhavgarh, Varanasi and Gaya en route.

Journeys in both the routes will take between seven to eight days.

Tourists on both routes -- Kolkata and Mumbai -- may also have the opportunity to have a glimpse of tigers in forests.

While Ranthambor Tiger Reserve falls on the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai route, Bandhavgarh National Park is on the Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi segment.


(PTI)