Karnataka tourism department resumes operations of Golden Chariot train

On Sunday the operations of the ‘Golden Chariot’ luxury train resumed. The train provides travelers a chance to experience the historical, architectural and scenic beauty of south India while enjoying the comfort of state-of-the-art amenities and international service standards, the statement from KSTDC said. 

During the event Ajay Kumar Singh, General Manager, South Western Railway, inspected the train and interacted with the guests. The train which left Yesvantpur Railway Station on Sunday will cover various tourist destinations in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Goa for the rest of the week.

“Golden Chariot” Luxury train was started by Karnataka State Tourism & Development Corporation (KSTDC) in 2008 but halted operation in 2017. “Initially the idea for the train was developed by KSTDC but however it had to stop operations because it was not economically viable.” Said an official of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Speaking to TNM.

The operations, management and marketing of the train were taken over through an agreement with KSTDC by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and after refurbishing the train it has restarted operations now.

On being questioned how they intend to make it viable now the official responded saying “We have put in a lot of resources and refurbished the train to improve it also when KSTDC was operating the train it was confined to just Karnataka but now we have introduced new routes which cover whole south India including Tamil Nadu and Kerala. If the response is good, we plan to operate to farther locations also.”

The official also said that they will be following all COVID-19 protocols including using sanitizer, wearing masks and face shields to ensure the safety of all the guests.

The Luxury Train offers Eleven Passengers Saloons, Two Dining Cars, One Bar Lounge & One Saloon with Mini Gym and Spa. The Saloons have been Named after Various Dynasties that have ruled South India, over centuries according to the golden chariots website.