Railways Plans Special Tour Package On Kalka-Shimla Line

Railways soon would introduce special tour packages for Kalka-Shimla line. Talking about the plan, Divisional Railway Manager (Ambala), H K Jaggi said that Railways is planning to introduce special tour packages to different destinations on the 96.6 km Kalka-Shimla railway line in partnership with the Himachal Pradesh government.

Remarkably, the Kalka-Shimla line has been selected by UNESCO as a heritage destination. And, the new step from the railways would help develop and harness the much potential hidden here as a tourist destination. Mr Jaggi said that he held talks in this regard with HP Chief Secretary Asha Swaroop and Secretary Tourism Manisha Nanda, and response has been positive.

Also, he divulged that a plan has been chalked out to set up a museum to place signals, benches, weighing machines used over the years on the 104-year-old narrow gauge railway line. As of now all these heritage items are preserved at different stations along the Kalka-Shimla railway. Also, he promised that the model of Kalka-Shimla tour package would be similar to Palace-on-Wheels.

Toy Train

The over 100 years old Matheran toy train of Maharashtra is ready to huff and puff its way into the prestigious Unesco Heritage list soon. The Union Ministry of Culture and the Indian Railways are determined to turn this prospect into a reality and are therefore currently busy readying the final dossier on the historic Matheran Light Railway (MLR).

Railway officials, infact, are look forward to seeing the Matheran hill train on the 2009 Unesco list. It was in 2005 itself when the Indian Railways (IR) proposed that the Matheran hill train be included in the Unesco list. But it was not fated to happen so as later that year, Mumbai witnessed a violent deluge on 26/7, which washed away a significant portion of the tracks of the 20-km Matheran railway.

Thereafter the central Railway had to spend nearly two years to get them back in their original condition. It was only in February 2007 that the Matheran toy train restarted its operation. ‘Last year, the ministry of culture could not back our application for MLR as they had already selected two other sites. But this year, they have promised to push for the Matheran train with Unesco,’ said executive director (heritage) at the ministry of railways, Rajesh Agrawal.

Punjab To Have Its Own Palace On Wheels

The earlier threatened luxury train project of Punjab resumed its journey on the right track as the railway ministry finally made changes essential for the project to embark on. The welcome gesture has lined way for designing and manufacturing luxury coaches of the train that could be Punjab's reply to the 'Palace of Wheels' of Rajasthan. However, the delay has helped in modifying the plans. Now an open-air deck would accompany the coaches and will have a spa, gym, game room and health club.

Geetika Kalha, principal secretary Tourism Punjab, stated that the train would be a great hit amongst the tourists as it will cover popular destinations, including the religious places of Punjab. The project had hit a barrier at the initial stage with operational costs, running up to Rs 20 lakh per trip, fetching a piece of disagreement between the tourism department and the railway authorities. The train would start from Delhi, covering destinations like Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar, Patiala, Pathankot, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kangra, Jaipur and Agra.

Intended for well heeled tourists, the train will cover most distances at night so that tourists can check out the places during the daytime. Due to mid-course policy changes, there is a rise in the cost of about Rs. 20 crores. Earlier, the train was estimated to be operationalized at Rs 30 crore but now the cost has escalated to Rs 50 crore. The sources in the tourism department disclosed that changes have been made in the agreement and it has been decided that the operational cost will be recuperated in phases.

Railways To Run Pan-India Luxury Train

Indian Railways is in the last stage of discussions with global travel company Cox and Kings to start the first pan-India luxury train of the country. A new company is going to handle this project with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Cox & Kings holding 50% equity each. In spite of the slowdown, India's luxury train market has drawn a lot of interest. The Golden Chariot, which travels around the heritage destinations of Karnataka, was started this year in the month of March. The IRCTC wants to bank on the proficiency of Cox & Kings to attract international travelers as the profitability will depend on good occupancy rates.

According to IRCTC’s managing director, Dr Nalin Shinghal, the deal would be struck soon and a new luxury train will target just 100 passengers a day and a separate entity is going to handle this project in collaboration with Cox & Kings. Already India has three luxury trains, but they are confined to one state each, now the new luxury train will cover many tourist destinations across the country. This fourth luxury train of the country will provide an option to the travelers to pick and choose the states they would like to visit. It will be operational between the months of October and March.

Him Darshan by IRCTC

To lure tourists from distant areas like Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat and Lucknow, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has planned a 'Him Darshan' package, including destinations like Shimla, Dharamshala, Pathankot and Manali. The corporation aims to tempt the frequent travelers and those bored of the much-offered tourist destinations to cash the potential of hill tourism. The IRCTC intends to start the packages from the winters since it's the perfect time to visit the hills, as told by IRCTC Chief Regional Manager Aneet Dulat.

The company also has plans to involve private national online tour operators for the Him Darshan project. For securing larger operations, efforts are also being made for tie-ups with hotel chains and Himachal Tours Corporation. The corporation further intends to widen its base among low-budget travelers. Moreover, to make certain that the services rendered are up to the standard, it has made a plan that each hotelier has to attach a feedback form filled by the tourists with the bill receipt to get the payment for its services.