About Palace On Wheels Travel:
The
passenger coaches which were originally meant to be the personal railway
coaches of t he erstwhile rulers of princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat,
the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India. These coaches were
not being used by the Indian Railways after independence in normal passenger
trains on account of very rich and traditional interiors.
The name "Palace-on-Wheels" (POW) was derived from its royal back-ground
of the coaches. A new air conditioned meter gauge Palace-on-Wheels Train
was introduced in 1990 with sharing toilets had 13 Saloons, 2 Restaurant
cum Kitchen car, one Bar cum Lounge and 4 Service Cars. In order to further
increase the amenities on the train and Due to conversion of tracks to broad
gauge in Rajasthan , the present 14 Passenger Saloon train was introduced
with A/C cabins attached toilets in 1995 & offers Royal comforts with
modern amenities personalised service.
In the past 20 years of operations, the Palace-on-Wheels has been rated
as one of the best ten luxurious rail journeys in the world.
Saloons:
The names of the saloons are based on the princely
states of Rajasthan - Alwar,
Bharatpur,
Bikaner,
Bundi, Dholpur,
Dungarpur, Jaipur,
Jaisalmer, Jhalawar,
Jodhpur, Kishangarh,
Kota, Sirohi,
and Udaipur.
The decor of each saloon has highlighted the cultural ethos of the state,
represented through the use of furniture, handicrafts, paintings and furnishings.The
ceiling in the lounge is of particular interest. Each coupe is different
but the overall ambience of the decor of the saloons has been taken care
of to provide continuity.
Each saloon has cream yellow color on its exterior walls and bear the Coat
of Arms (logo) of the erstwhile princely states, along with the name.
Interior Layout :
Each saloon has 4 coupes (sleeping rooms) with
attached toilet. In every saloon, there is one saloon captain valet and
one attendant to look after the personal needs of its tourists. Each saloon
has a mini pantry properly equipped to provide ready tea/coffee and snacks.
