RTDC plans to add features such as balloon trips over Pushkar mela site and water sports water

JAIPUR, Aug 30: From November, Rajasthan will have a second `Palace on Wheels', giving tourists a taste of royal grandeur, luxury and heri...

JAIPUR, Aug 30: From November, Rajasthan will have a second `Palace on Wheels’, giving tourists a taste of royal grandeur, luxury and heritage as they travel to various spots in Rajasthan.

The new train, called the `Desert Queen’, would run on metre gauge like the first such train — `Palace on Wheels’ — did in the initial phase, according to chairman of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) Rajiv Arora. While the Palace on Wheels takes tourists from Delhi to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur and Agra, the Desert Queen would cover another prized tourist sector of Shekhawati. It would take tourists to Nawalgarh, Fatehpur, Pidawa and Mukundgarh in Shekhawati, right up to Bikaner before returning. The trip will last four days and three nights and the train is scheduled for launch on November 15.

Going by the performance of the Palace on Wheels, RTDC is certain of the success of the new train, according to Arora who said the Palace on Wheels had consistently made a profit. Although its rates might appear a bit on the higher side — around Rs 20,000 ($ 485) per person per night for seven nights and eight days — it does not discourage tourists, as is apparent by the train enjoying an average occupancy of 70 per cent. In the last financial year, the profit from the train came to about Rs 250 lakh.

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The elegant interiors of the Palace on Wheels along with delectable cuisine and personalised service exude an exclusive charm. Each saloon has its own personal `khidmatgar’ (attendant) attired in ethnic Rajasthani costume.

The 14 delux air-conditioned saloons are equipped with amenities like channel music and intercom. Each saloon is a combination of four twin-bedded chambers with attached toilets running cold and hot water and shower facilities.

Men and women in colourful attires welcome the guests at the Delhi Cantonment Railway Station from where the journey begins.

For the next seven days, the guests live in regal splendour as the train chugs into the Pink City of Jaipur, historical Chittorgarh and lake city Udaipur, fascinating Sawai Madhopur with the famous tiger reserve of Ranthambhor, magical desert cities Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, Bharatpur with its renowned bird sanctuary, and Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal.

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Along with another luxury heritage train, RTDC plans to try out other novel features. Arora says balloon trips over the Pushkar mela site would be arranged for tourists visiting the fair. If found popular, ballooning would be introduced in other sectors also, Arora said. Another idea to be tried out soon is water sports, beginning with simple boating near Jodhpur.