Palace on Wheels is back with a ‘Heritage’ Upgrade

A well-knownluxury train of all time is the Palace on Wheels, which covers important destinations in the northern part of the country. Crowned several times for its service, decor, and hospitality, the train will no longer be on track soon. This classic tour will be continued in a new train with a new itinerary and new style from December 01, 2017. The train is also renamed as ‘Heritage Palace on Wheels’.

The first itinerary is the standard Golden Triangle route, which covers Jaipur, Agra and Delhi. The second itinerary is said to scale off-beat exotic places in the country that are not exposed to tourism via rail. According to the consultant general manager of Heritage Palace on Wheels, Pradeep Bohra, the train was marketed at London’s World Travel Mart. He mentioned that the train will run on four different itineraries from December 2017. He mentioned that the second itinerary is a four-night tour which covers Churu, Bikaner, Jaipur and Agra. The tour will start and end in Delhi.

On the second day, the train reaches Churu, and tourists will be taken to the off-beaten Shekhawati region for exploration. Later, they will be taken to Tal Chapper and Ramgarh. On the same day, tourists will be taken to Bikaner for sightseeing and touring. On the third day, the train covers Agra and Dholpur. Details about the other two itineraries are not yet public.

Heritage Palace on Wheels will run with the same exterior as that of its predecessor. The Palace on Wheels train has had its iconic image for the past 35 years. This image branding will continue with this new train too. The interior is furnished in a new style, and a few changes have been made to the overall decor. It is said that the train will focus on tourists who are planning to enjoy a short vacation for less cost. The cost of an itinerary scaling for four days and three nights is fixed at $3510 per night. Palace on Wheels had a tariff that was around $650 per night for the same time scale.

N C Goel, the chairman of RTDC, took the decision to include small itineraries. The new train was introduced as the old one was nearing its operational lifetime. With increasing corrosion-related problems and others, the train is no longer considered economically viable to manage or repair.

The Palace on Wheels made its maiden journey in 1994 and has continued to charm to date. According to the guidelines of Indian Railways, the total life of a train is economically 25 years, and Palace on Wheels has reached 23 years of age. This new train, Heritage Palace on Wheels, has only been on the track for two years. Planning to launch new itineraries in a new branded train within this short time period is exciting, according to the stakeholders.