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Journey
into the Past
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. The
Palace On Wheels has graced the Rajasthan Tourism and Indian Railways
since January 1982. The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, The
Indian Railways, the Tourism Department of Rajasthan and the Government of
India launched Palaceonwheels as a special heritage tourist train for
providing a unique and memorable experience to the tourists visiting
Rajasthan.
The Legend
These coaches were not being used by the Indian Railways after
independence in normal passenger trains on account of very rich and
traditional interiors. The Palace On Wheels started as a unique holiday
train hauled by a steam engine with its inaugural trip on 26th January
1982. It started to roll on its regular operations from October 1982. In
1991, a new air-conditioned meter gauge Palaceonwheels on the lines of the
old heritage train was launched with 13 salons, 2 restaurants, kitchen
car, Bar cum lounge and 4 service cars. 'Khidmatgars' or personal
attendants, in each cabin, cater to all your needs.
The Legend and the Modern
The Palace On Wheels has gained remarkable success and attained worldwide
acclaim and popularity including the PATA gold award in 1987. The
Palaceonwheels has been rated as one of the ten best luxurious rail
journeys in the world. The popularity of the train has been enhanced by
the media. Famous TV Teams such as BBC, MTV, Zee TV, National Geographic,
MDR of Germany and many others have covered the train and shown it on
their network.
It has carried 36096 tourists in 578 trios up to April 2002
The eight days and seven nights journey in royal splendour takes you to
the territory Maharajas, the 'Pink City' of Jaipur; Jaisalmer 'the jewel
of the desert'; the majestic stronghold of Jodhpur; Sawai Madhopur for the
Ranthambor National Park; the city of Chittaurgarh with its countless
tales of Rajput chivalry; Udaipur with its lakes and Lake Palaces;
Bharatpur - with its remarkable Keoladeo Ghana bird sanctuary; the red
stone city of Fatehpur Sikri; and of course, the Taj Mahal in Agra - one
of the seven wonders of the world.
Romance of the Rail Continues...
The Palace On Wheels comprises of 14 fully air-conditioned deluxe salons,
equipped with world-class amenities to enhance the pleasure of travelling.
The 14 coaches are made up of 104 passenger berths in double bedded
cabins, each with channel music, intercom, attached toilet, running hot
and cold water and a shower. The coaches are named after former Rajput
states matching the aesthetics and interiors of the royal past. Each salon
has a mini pantry and a lounge to ensure availability of hot and cold
beverages, and refreshments and a place to relax and get together. 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.