Indian Railways, Cox & Kings to launch luxury train

The terror strike on Mumbai might have put a big question mark on the fate of luxury tourism within the country, but it surely has not stopped Lalu Prasad’s Indian Railways from drawing up big plans.

The Indian Railway Catering Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the tourism arm of Indian Railways, is tying up with travel company Cox and Kings to launch the largest-ever luxury rail service in India. The deal will be announced early next week. While IRCTC will run the train, Cox & Kings will market it.

To be launched from Mumbai by the third quarter of 2009, this will be the only luxury train with a pan-India presence. Other luxury trains like Palace on wheels (Rajasthan), Deccan Queen (Maharashtra) and Golden Chariot (Karnataka) have region- or state-specific operations. All these trains are run by the states.

This is the first time that Indian Railways, which run the second-largest rail network in the world, have decided to run a luxury train. Under Railway Minister Prasad, the Railways have taken several steps to offer value-added services and augment their revenues.

India is a growing destination for luxury tourists. On an average, they are known to spend about 3-4 times more than an average tourist. IRCTC clearly aims to tap this segment of the tourist market. While Palace on Wheels is able to sell most of its seats, others are running on 35-40 per cent occupancy.

"This train will have the maximum luxury features in India. It will have a weekly service and will cover four regions – west, north, east and south (in that order) – and will cover one region each week,” said an IRCTC official.

While the basic concept of the train will be the same as other luxury trains in the country, it will have some enhanced features like shops on board and more coaches.

"The train will have 23 coaches with a seating capacity of 100 passengers, out of which 15 will be fully residential coaches with bedded chambers and attached toilets,” said the official. “The coaches will be divided into four segments – presidential, luxury, super deluxe and deluxe suites – of which the Presidential suite will be the most expensive. The train will have two bars, two bonanza shops and two dining halls, among other features.”

To put it in perspective, Palace on Wheels, which is run by the Rajasthan Tourism Corporation and is currently the largest luxury train in India, has only 14 coaches and one bar. It does not have a shop on board.

A week-long trip on Palace on Wheels can cost between $2,460 and $4,060. IRCTC officials said that the fares for the new train will be decided later, though it could be higher than other luxury trains in the country.