Thaindian News

Mumbai, Oct 11 (IANS) Maharashtra’s pride, the ‘Deccan Odyssey’ luxury train service, will resume operations in a new avatar from Wednesday, an official said.

Launched in January 2004, the train — which had practically gone off the tracks after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks — will carry 80 passengers, including 62 foreign nationals from Britain, the US, Switzerland, Holland and Australia.

For the first time, the train will embark on a weeklong journey to New Delhi, where another batch of tourists will board the train for a return trip, the official from the state tourism ministry said.

Maharashtra Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, whose brainchild the train is, will travel on the re-launch journey Wednesday from Mumbai to Nashik.

“After the Mumbai terror attacks, all bookings had been cancelled for several months and failed to pick up despite best efforts. The problem was compounded by haulage charges hiked by the railways, pushing ‘Deccan Odyssey’ to huge losses,” the official, requesting not to be identified, told IANS.

Later, to offset a part of the accumulated losses, the train was chartered to neighbouring states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for special short duration trips.

This year, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) decided to fully renovate and give a new look to the train and re-launch it on a pan-India basis, offering the option of royal luxury and opulence to tourists, he added.

The train boasts of regal interiors, the best of foods and wines, conference rooms, televisions in each suite, dining rooms, lounges, a fully-equipped gym with massage and spa, library, bar and full range of executive services.

Besides the regular Mumbai-New Delhi-Mumbai trips averaging at least one every month, the train will also run on short trips covering major tourist circuits in Maharashtra, including the coastal Konkan region.