Palace on Wheels V2 set to roll

Tourists headed for Rajasthan can look forward to yet another royal train ride, Palace on Wheels-2. This could be a far classier fare with exclusive facilities ranging from dance floor to a massage centre. The new train follows the phenomenal success of the first Palace on Wheels, a craze among well-heeled foreign tourists. The latest train would be a joint venture between the Rajasthan Tourist Development Corp (RTDC) and Indian Railways. 'Our target is to launch the second version of Palace on Wheels in the next tourism season starting from October,' RTDC managing director Rakesh Saini said. It will run on the same route as the existing one, covering Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Chittorgah, Udaipur and Agra, in a seven-night tour starting and ending in New Delhi. The new Palace on Wheels will offer a richer experience. 'We are planning to offer tourists more luxuries. A dance floor, a massage centre and conference halls are being considered,' Saini said.

The 21-coach train would also have special suites, foreign exchange counters, exclusive kitchens, mini bars, a gym, channel music and steam bath. In its three exclusive suites, every window has been designed in the form of a viewing gallery. Its security system will include fire alarms and close-circuit TV. 'It would be a special train equipped with all state-of-the-art facilities a tourist can think of. It would be a glitzier product. All designs are expected to be ready by the end of December,' Saini said. Tourists will have to shell out 25 percent more tariff than for the existing train. The current version of the Palace on Wheels costs around $385 a person per night on twin-sharing basis. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs.300 million, of which Rs.125 million would be the railways' share. The rest would be generated by RTDC. The RTDC was considering getting a loan of Rs.100 million from the Tourism Finance Corp of India for the venture. Work related to building the special coaches for the train would start this month in Chennai.

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