The Maharaja Express History :
The Indian kings had great fascination for the steam engines and it became a part of their lives in various ways. The new Indian luxury train, Maharajas’ Express tells a saga of the rich past of the Indian kings and their favorite royal coaches.
The princes of the various princely states of India flaunted with their flamboyant carriages. The maharaja of Gaekwad of Vadodara was happy to gift a toy train to his son and he also installed a royal throne in his personal coach of the train. The Nizams of Hyderabad also had great fascination for royal styled carriages and the carriages of their private railway car were decked with thin strips of ivory and gold hardware.
The royal Maharaja of Scindia family, former ruler of Gwalior was passionate enough for his two mile gauge track built on his palace grounds. Madhav Rao Scindia enjoyed this joy ride and even invited his friends to enjoy the ride on their palace grounds.
Around 1880 the princely states of India had started the rail lines. The Jodhpur Maharaja Jaswant Singh built his own little railway. A luxury state coach for Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company. It was the most luxurious coaches that built at that time.
After the successful stories of the Indian luxury trains, the Royale Indian Rail Tours Ltd., a joint venture of the IRCTC and Cox and Kings India Ltd starts this Maharaja Express royal train, the costliest train of Asia till now. The infrastructure of the train is world class and eco-friendly washrooms are even designed in a new style. The royal journey of this train will be started from March, 2010.
