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The Palace on Wheels is India's first luxury tourist train launched by the Indian Railways in joint collaboration with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) to promote tourism in Rajasthan.[1][2] The train was launched in 1982.[3][4] The train has been renamed as Heritage Palace on Wheels.[5][6]
The train service was renovated and relaunched in August 2009 with a new decor, itinerary and cuisine.[7]
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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, Baroda, the Nizam of Hyderabad and mainly the Governor-General of India.[8]
Due to changes in the rail gauges over the years, after the launch of the first train in 1982, the second train was built in 1991 and the third train was built in 1995.[9]
The train halted operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][9] It resumed operations in 2022 and was flagged off by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at Gandhinagar Railway Station on 8 October 2022.[10][11] The Chief Minister announced that modern furnishings and additional amenities have been added to the train and the government has accorded an industry status to the sector while setting aside ₹1,000 crore in the 2022-23 budget to promote tourism.[12] Before the stop in operations due to the pandemic, the train ran continuously from 1982 to 2020.[13]
A petition was filed by Worldwide Rail Journeys Pvt Ltd. to allow 18 foreign passengers to travel on the train while operations were halted due to the pandemic since they had deposited an amount of ₹15 lakh towards their booking. The Delhi High Court gave a judgement to allow these foreigners to board the train.[14]
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The train has 14 coaches with 41 cabins and can accommodate 82 tourists.[15] 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.[16] Each coach has three cabins (named chambers or saloons by the company) with luxury amenities and Wi-Fi internet.[17][18] The train has two restaurants, The Mahārāja and The Mahārāni, with a Rajasthani ambience serving continental and Chinese cuisine, one bar-cum-lounge, 14 saloons and a spa.[18]
It has on-board postal, banking and laundry services.[19]
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The train runs from September through April and has a 7 nights & 8 days itinerary.[20] It 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 8).[21][22]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palace on Wheels.
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