Shell out Rs 1 lakh per night to travel on Maharajas' Express

NEW DELHI: Maharajas' Express, the country's first pan-India super luxury train, in which a tourist has to shell out more than Rs one lakh per day, is all set to embark on its maiden journey on March 20 from Kolkata.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to flag off the train, the bookings of which are already in progress, said sources in the Railway Ministry.

The state-of-art coaches of the Maharaja Express, rolled out from ICF Perumbur, will have several features which are the first for any luxury trains.

These include individual temperature control system and environment friendly toilet, live TV, internet, in-house movies and direct dialling facilities.

There will be four different categories of carriages in the train - presidential suite ($2500), suite ($1400) delux cabin ($900) and junior suite ($800).

The signature journey will cover two routes -- one between Delhi and Mumbai, covering places of tourist interest in Gujarat and Rajasthan on its way, and the other between Delhi and Kolkata covering Agra, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Bandhavgarh, Varanasi and Gaya enroute.

Journeys in both the routes will take between seven to eight days.

Tourists on both routes -- Kolkata and Mumbai -- may also have the opportunity to have a glimpse of tigers in forests. While Ranthambor tiger reserve falls on the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai route, Bandhavgarh national park is on the Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi segment.