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Then Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
has flagged off Deccan Odyssey
luxury tourist train on January 16, 2004 in Mumbai at a function attended,
among other dignitaries, by then Railway Minister, Shri Nitish Kumar, and then
Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde.
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- The Deccan Odyssey is a joint venure between the Indian Railways and the
Government of Maharashtra represented by the Maharashtra Tourism Development
Corporation (MTDC) following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of February 7,
2001.
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- The train has on-board facilities like T.V., cable connection with central
audio disc player, cell phones, channel music and foreign exchange change
facilities.
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- The new luxury tourist
train, consisting of Air Conditioned Saloon Cars, Air Conditioned Bar
Car, Air Conditioned Restaurant Car and Air Conditioned Gym and Yoga
Car, traverse a distance of over 2200 kilometres covering a variety of
visual delights for tourists.
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- The itinerary includes the world heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora, lush
green spots and breath-taking pristine beauty along the Konkan railway route and
luring and ever enchanting Goa on Mumbai-Ratnagiri-Sindhu
Durg-Goa-Pune-Aurangabad (Ajanta and Ellora Caves)-Nasik-Mumbai.
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- The MTDC does market and maintain the train, while the Indian Railways operates it on the pattern of the Palace on Wheels super luxury train in
Delhi-Agra-Rajasthan circuit and the Royal Orient luxury train in Delhi-Gujarat
sector.
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- The Deccan Odyssey showcases the tourism assets of Maharashtra, the grandeur
of Konkan coast, the art, the culture, the heritage of Maharashtra as well as
local arts, crafts and cuisine of the state during the journey.
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- The train takes 80
passengers on a tour of the Konkan region, including Goa, and
northwestern Maharashtra. It halts at Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa,
Pune, Aurangabad, (for Ajanta and Ellora) and Nashik. On the itinerary
are visits to forts, other historical places, museums, beaches and
boat rides in the backwaters. This is what your room would look like.
The MTDC has taken pains to decorate the train with artefacts associated
with Maharashtra
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- Once you have settled
in, your first excursion inside the train would be the dining car. You
can choose from two: one serves Konkan cuisine, the other has a
multi-cuisine menu. Those who like a drink to accompany their dinner can
hop on to the adjoining saloon, which has a full-fledged bar. Most of
the travelling would be done at night. Tourists will leave the train for
sight-seeing after breakfast and return in time for dinner. Enjoy the
view from the large windows in the restaurants run by the Taj Group,
which is in complete charge of the hospitality.
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- The train is fully
air-conditioned and the coaches are named after forts and important
landmarks. It does pose its share of problems, primarily the need to
take some tough decisions on whether to spend your time in the
lounge-cum-bar, the dining room, the beauty salon, watching a movie or
in your own room listening to piped music. The conference room, which
can be converted into a dance floor. It has a gymnasium, a sauna, a yoga
centre, ayurvedic treatment and massage. Those who want to tell their
near and dear ones what a good time they are having can either call up
or log on to the Internet in the cyber café.
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- This joint venture
between the Indian Railways and MTDC will not operate during the monsoon
but at all other times, it aims to compete with the best five star
hotels and international cruise liners. While the train has an aura of
opulence, the room locks reek of an effort to cut costs. Also, the cyber
café is a bit cramped.
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- During off-season, corporates can hire
the train to take their employees on a holiday or even organise meetings
on board. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee flagged off this beauty on
January 16, 2004 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai. If you
succumb to the lure of the Deccan Odyssey, be prepared to shell out
approximately $350 ($=Rs 45) per day. The seven-day tour begins in
Mumbai every Wednesday night.
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