Luxury trains across India might be taking a financial hit because of inadequate patronage, but the pride of Maharashtra — the Deccan Odyssey — is now looking at a season that might well be among its finest in several years.
According to statistics made available to dna by Cox and Kings, the travel firm entrusted with handling the luxury train's ticketing operations, the Deccan Odyssey would have made 23 departures by the end of the current season in May.
"In 2013-14, the Deccan Odyssey had seven trips and carried 264 passengers, while 2014-15 saw an increase to 16 trips with 422 passengers. In 2015/16, we will operate a total of 23 departures in the entire season, which ends in May this year. The passenger count has gone up by 40% compared to the previous year," said an official from Cox and Kings.
In fact, the positive response to the train is such at present that the official said there is an increase of 30-40% in passenger flow every year and it is expected to maintain the tempo in the times to come. The ticket prices, which fluctuate along with the exchange rate of the rupee to the US dollar, have been steady for some time now and a cabin in the luxury train for an eight-day journey costs around Rs2.25 lakh.
The departure on April 16 will see new amenities being added in the luxury train, such as a wi-fi connection, high-end LCD television sets and wardrobes in each cabin. Each cabin will also have a mobile phone with emergency numbers fed into it.
The improved fortune of the Deccan Odyssey is a welcome change for the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation — which operates the train — at a time when legendary luxury trains such as the Palace on Wheels, run by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, are finding it tough to attract patrons. In fact, for the first time since it was launched in 1982, the Palace on Wheels had a trip cancelled, on March 30 this year, since not a single ticket was sold for the journey.
Deccan Odyssey at a discount:
The Deccan Odyssey, a luxury train that belongs to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), has announced a special discount offer during the Diwali holidays later this year. However, the offer is limited to bookings done on or before June 15, 2016. According to MTDC officials, travellers get to stay for seven nights at the cost of a six-night stay, paying Rs 4, 60,037 per couple instead of Rs 5, 36,710 per couple:
