The Indian Maharaja - Deccan Odyssey has won the Asia's Best luxury Train Award at the 19th World Travel Awards in the category of 'Asia's Leading Luxury Train-2012'. 

The Indian Maharaja won the same award in 2011 and 2010 as well, said a release issued by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). "It had always been a close contest as the other contenders in the race were equally powerful. The nominees for the award included, Eastern & Oriental Express, Palace on Wheels, The Golden Chariot Train and The Viceroy of India," it added. Read More.

Orient Express, which owns and manages luxury hotels, restaurants, cruises, and luxury trains across the globe, will now promote its luxury rail and cruise products in the Indian market to target high-end discerning customers. With this objective, the company recently appointed ‘The Luxury Trains’, a Delhi-based travel company that markets luxury rail products, as their General Sales Agent (GSA) in India.

Orient Express currently operates five luxury rail products, and three luxury cruises in Southeast Asia and Europe. The luxury cruises include the famous ‘Road to Mandalay’ river cruise in Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar, and ‘A Float in France’, a luxury cruise through the waterways of France. A third cruise ship - Orcaella - is currently under construction at Yangon in Myanmar - and would be joining the fleet in July 2013. Read More....

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation’s premier luxury train service, the Maharaja Express is all set to start on its first Gems of India journey tomorrow, i.e. 17 October 2012. The train will depart tomorrow night from the Safdarjung Railway Station. Every year, the Maharaja Express attracts thousands of visitors to its majestic interiors and world class on-board services. There are still some seats available for the inaugural run while the journeys around Christmas and New Year’s Eve are almost sold out.

The Gems of India journey is 3 night, 4 day tour and is essentially a shortened version of Maharajas Express’ longer itineraries and shows its guests around the Golden Triangle of India – The Delhi, Jaipur and Agra corridor. The Gems of India itinerary makes the most of the limited time and includes an exhibition Polo match, a trip to the Taj and a wildlife excursion to Ranthambore National Park as the highlights. The train has also won lavish praises due to its special provisions for accommodating handicapped guests. The next two journeys are scheduled on November 13 and December 12 this year, after which there are five more departures planned for rest of the season next year.

Maharajas Express Train Images

Maharajas Express Train,India

A view of the Mayur Mahal or the Peacock Restaurant of Maharajas Express

Sitting area of the Presidential Suite

Maharaja Express Bar

Suite of The Maharajas Express

The restaurant dining car on the Maharajas’ Express

Maharaja Express luxury train

Source: http://www.justluxe.com/community/maharaja-express-gems-of-india-journey-starts-season-tomorro_a_1840085.php

Deccan Odyssey has announced its two confirmed departures for the 2012 festive season of Christmas. This announcement made by the train authorities brought a radiant smile on the faces of the travelers all around the world. This luxury train tour will depart on 19th and 26th of December 2012 from Mumbai and cover prominent destinations such as Ajanta & Ellora Caves, Sindhudurg, Tarkali and Goa. The all inclusive tour tariff starts from US $450 per person per night. These 2 exclusive journeys will span over 7 nights and 8 days.

Tariff Per Person Per Night

Occupancy Type	Lean Season September 2012 & April 2012 & April 2013	Peak Season October 2012 to March 2013
Deluxe Cabin
Single occupancy	US $ 500	US $ 650
Double occupancy	US $ 390	US $ 600
Triple occupancy	US $ 315	US $ 425
Presidential Suite
Single Occupancy	US $ 750	US $ 950
Double Occupancy	US $ 650	US $ 800
Presidential Suite-Extra Occupancy	US $ 300	US $ 370

Terms and Conditions

Mentioned below are the terms and conditions for Offer of the Deccan odyssey:

•  (Half fare for children between 5 and 12 years)
• 10% Surcharge shall be levied on departure during Christmas/New Year.
• Any leg of minimum of 3 nights subject to availability will be given at the above-mentioned rates. Thus Mumbai-Goa and Goa-Mumbai sectors will be sold as available segments to clients.
•  If the client undertakes the day sightseeing programme at Goa & Mumbai, an extra $ 130 USD per person plus applicable service tax will be charged. This charge includes car, guide, entrance fees, and lunch deluxe restaurant..
• Service Tax @ of 3.09% is applicable on the gross ticket value
• This tax is also applicable on day programme at Mumbai & Goa.
• Tariff is inclusive of travel/catering/conducted sight-seeing/ entrance fee at Monuments/Parks/Palaces/Cultural Programmes/ Boat Ride. The guest has to pay for video cameras, liquor, laundry and other items of personal nature.

Note : 10% Surcharge shall be levied on departure during Christmas/New Year.

Passenger reservations/cancellation on the Deccan Odyssey can be done as per the following terms and conditions

BOOKING

• 20% of ticket value at the time of booking.
• 80% of ticket value 30 days before departure of the tour.

Cancellation

• Any cancellation must be advised immediately by Fax/E-mail & subsequently confirmed by letter to the Central Reservation Division at Head Office, Mumbai.
• Value of Ticket to be retained by MTDC on cancellation will be as follows:
• a) 5% of ticket value 60 days prior to the departure.
• b) 20% of Ticket Value 30-59 days prior to the departure.
• c) 50% of ticket value 15-29 days prior to the departure.
• d) 100% of ticket value 14 or less days prior to the departure.
• No refund or adjustment will be made in the event of interruption of journey by a tourist on his own after the commencement of the tour.

The art of elegant travelling in India witnessed a revival with the arrival of Palace on Wheels on the scene. However the concept of luxury tourist train in the west devised years back in 1864, the James Watt creation managed to capture the attention of erstwhile Indian monarchs. Known for their pomp and idiosyncrasy, the erstwhile Indian maharajas developed a fascination for the steam engine and vied with each other to possess the best rail carriage in the world. Taking cue  from the personal carriages of Rajputs, Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of India, Rajasthan Tourism and Development Corporation (RTDC) launched Palace on Wheels in 1982 with a motive to promote tourism in Rajasthan. 

The major reason why Palace on Wheels achieved unprecedented heights is the  unavailability of normal tour hassles such as packing and unpacking every night, looking for a tour guide and  a decent accommodation & restaurant. Also the idea of overnight travelling and utilization of the day time for sightseeing excursion was favored by the tourists. 

Following the resounding success of the Palace on Wheels train, many state tourism boards and private players too joined the bandwagon of introducing luxury trains in their respective region. Today as many as six luxury trains are functional in India named as Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Indian Maharaja, Golden Chariot and the latest Maharajas’ Express with a total of 11 journeys on offer.   

Whereas Deccan Odyssey crisscrosses the route of destinations in Maharashtra, Golden Chariot with its two itineraries- Pride of the South and Splendor of the South- takes guests on a whirlwind tour across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Then there is Indian Maharaja, a privately managed luxury train, that covers Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh with its two journeys- Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Mumbai. Although these trains have different owners and themes, all of them are driven by a single goal that is to unearth the natural and cultural heritage of their region. 

With the launch of Maharajas’ Express in 2012, India got the perfect answer for the Venice Simplon Orient Express of the west. Due to its recent repackaging, Maharajas’ Express has been re-launched with five brand new itineraries- Indian Splendor, Indian Panorama, Treasures of India, Gems of India and the Heritage of India. In terms of facilities, Maharajas’ Express has a presidential suite spanning over entire carriage and runs on high-tech pneumatic and hydraulic suspension system. 

Luxury train travelling in India is reminiscent of the day of erstwhile maharajas when royalty is a way of living life. The rail journeys offered by these trains are all inclusive of guided sightseeing excursions, on board meals, entrance fees at the monuments and the best part is that you travel during night and explore new destinations every day. To say that a new era of elegant and gracious traveling has certainly arrived in India since the advent of the luxury tourist trains will not be an overstatement. 

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/

Royal  Rajasthan on Wheels Train

A new luxury train, which will cover tourist destinations in three states, started its maiden journey from Safdarjung railway station in the capital Sunday.

'Royal Rajasthan on Wheels' - touted as India's most luxurious train - is a joint venture between Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (RTDC) and the Indian Railways.

The train will run every Sunday between October and April from Delhi. It will travel across three states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

"The train will go to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Khajuraho and Agra. And the journey will culminate in Varanasi," RTDC chairman Pramod Sharma said. The entire journey would be completed in seven days.

Consisting of 35 coaches, the train has a ferrying capacity of 82 passengers in one trip. The train has on board a spa, gymnasium, specials suites, deluxe saloons and two restro-lounges which make the journey truly a 'royal experience'.

"This train is better than 'Palace on Wheels' as it is more spacious and grander. It has every luxury which anyone would want," said Sharma.

While the journey will cost $4,130 (Rs.2,14,760), one will have to shell out $1,600 (Rs.83,200) per day more if one travels in the special suite.

On Sunday, as the train started its maiden trip, there were 61 foreign tourists on board.

"So far, the service has been really good and the crew is really hospitable. It would be too early to say anything about the train as the journey has not even started yet," an Australian tourist Kent Vodan told IANS while the train was at Safdarjung station.

Source : http://www.nydailynews.com/