Misplaced Pages

#753246

30-580: The Deccan Odyssey is an Indian luxury train modeled on the Palace on Wheels luxury train and put into service to boost tourism on the Maharashtra route of the Indian Railways . The train, owned by travel company Cox & Kings since 2014, takes visitors on a variety of seven night, eight day trips across Maharashtra. The Deccan Odyssey was deployed and started by Indian Railways and

60-462: A bottled water brand "Rail Neer" in 2003, which is sold on trains and railway stations. IRCTC operates luxury trains such as Maharajas' Express, Deccan Odyssey and other special tourist trains with varied classes. These may include standard coaches, regular coaches with modifications and specially designed coaches with coupes, dedicated cabins and suites. IRCTC also operates a few express trains in co-ordination with Indian Railways. In 2020,

90-402: A TV, and a cell phone "with all emergency numbers fed in." Guests are serviced by an onboard butler and each suite is marked with a custom nameplate. In addition to accommodation amenities, the train is fully air-conditioned and has a small gym, a spa, salon, library, foreign exchange services , a bar, and a conference room, which can be converted into a dance floor. There are two restaurants in

120-499: A figure eight route through nine cities, which include cities like Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Agra. Each coach has four cabins (known as chambers or saloons) with twin beds, wall-to-wall carpeting, air-conditioning, satellite television , an intercom, toilets, hot and cold running water and personal attendants. The train was refurbished and reintroduced in August 2009 with new decor, itinerary and cuisine to promote tourism. The train

150-541: A focus on Sikh takhts . In 2017, the Susegado Goa special journey explored the Konkan Coast through Mumbai, Goa, Thivim , Karmali , and Verna . In 2022, an abbreviated Indian Odyssey journey—Delhi, Sawai Madhopur, Agra, Jaipur—was available. Most passengers are international travellers and are charged US$ 8,330 per single occupancy deluxe cabin for a seven night, eight day trip. The Deccan Odyssey has won

180-607: A period of seven nights and eight days, and operates during the period October to April. It was certified by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the world's oldest locomotive in regular operation after its restoration to haul a luxury train to increase tourism in Rajasthan . In 1999, the Fairy Queen received a National Tourism Award. The train only operates on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month during

210-480: A reference PNR on a successful booking. Electronic tickets can be used for travel along with a valid photo identification and cancellation can be done online. For Internet tickets (I-tickets), while the booking is done online, physical tickets are sent to the customer through post . Reserved tickets may be booked up to 60 days in advance and confirmed reservation tickets will show the passenger and fare details along with berth or seat number(s) allocated to them on

240-447: A single category. A General Waiting List (GNWL) ticket has no such restrictions, and wait-listed tickets get confirmed if there are cancellations of already reserved tickets in the respective categories and get cancelled automatically if seats are not confirmed before the departure of the train. Reservation against cancellation tickets (RAC) is an intermediate category between the waiting and confirmed lists in sleeper classes which allows

270-516: A smart card system through which unreserved train tickets which can be bought either at railway stations or online. IRCTC provides train and ticketing related information to passengers through SMS. IRCTC has exclusive rights for onboard catering of food on all trains operated by the Indian Railways. Pantry cars are attached to long and medium distance trains, where food may be prepared onboard or pre-cooked meals can be served depending on

300-560: A ticket holder to board the train and share a berth. Reserved tickets can be booked by passengers who want to travel at short notice at higher fares through the Tatkal quota (TQ), which has a standalone waiting list (TQWL) and no refund is applicable on cancellation of confirmed tickets. In 2011, IRCTC launched a loyalty program called Shubh Yatra for frequent travelers wherein passengers could avail discounts on all tickets by paying an upfront annual subscription fee. In 2012, IRCTC introduced

330-489: Is exploring on ways to increase revenues through the utilization of passenger data. This raised concerns on sharing and safety of passenger data stored with IRCTC. During the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests , IRCTC officials used passenger e-mail data that had been provided to them to book tickets, in order to email pamphlets promoting Government welfare schemes and policies to Sikhs from Punjab . IRCTC officials denied that e-mails were selectively targeted at members of

SECTION 10

#1732772586754

360-535: The Indian Railways . In May 2008, it was classed as a Miniratna public corporation, which allowed it a certain degree of financial autonomy. In 2018, then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the government was exploring opportunities for disinvestment of IRCTC. The company was listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2019, following which the Government of India's holding

390-612: The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corp in 2001 in an effort to increase tourism in Maharashtra. Integral Coach Factory started construction in 2002 and finished in 2003. Its first trip departed on 16 January 2004 for a week-long maiden trip and was flagged off by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee . Due to lack of bookings, later journeys in 2004 were suspended by the state government of Maharashtra. However, its operations restarted after

420-512: The Rolling Deposit Scheme (RDS), a type of closed wallet wherein customers can book tickets using money already deposited. In 2013, flight and hotel booking services were added as a part of online reservation services. In 2016, IRCTC launched a lighter version of its website to enable booking at low speed internet connections. On 7 August 2019, IRCTC launched a payment wallet named iMudra . On 11 August 2021, IRCTC introduced

450-528: The Taj Mahal . Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation ( IRCTC ) is an Indian public sector undertaking that provides ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the state-owned Indian Railways . It was established in 1999 by the Government of India and operated under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways . In 2019, it

480-704: The monsoon season . The train was not in service for the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed services in September 2023. The train is 700 metres (2,300 ft) long and painted in royal blue. It gets its name from the Deccan Plateau which is located in Maharashtra. The design is meant to emulate the luxuries enjoyed by 16th century Maharajas . The train has 21 coaches, each named after places in Maharashtra and can accommodate up to 88 passengers. Suite amenities include an en suite bathroom, Wi-Fi,

510-543: The IRCTC began operating the first private train , a Tejas Express from New Delhi to Lucknow . IRCTC also operates the Ahmedabad–Mumbai Central Tejas Express and Kashi Makahal Express . IRCTC also organizes package tours for domestic and foreign tourists. IRCTC also enables booking of various services including hotel, flight, taxi, and food delivery in co-ordination with third parties through

540-452: The Sikh community. As of December 2023, there are 66 million registered users with IRCTC with a daily average of 7.31 lakh tickets booked. IRCTC also enables various services in co-ordination with third parties where the same user data is shared. In 2016, Maharashtra Police reported a potential leak of personal information relating to 10 million users registered with IRCTC. IRCTC set up

570-612: The journeys include: (New Itineraries added and Older ones modified) Apart from the trip list, the Deccan Odyssey also goes on other shorter "special journeys". In 2010, the Spiritual Journey to the Guru's Abode explored Kiratpur Sahib , Anandpur Sahib (Keshgarh Sahib), Amritsar ( Akal Takht Sahib ), Bathinda ( Damdama Sahib ), Jaipur, Agra, Nanded ( Hazur Sahib ), Mumbai, Patna ( Patna Sahib ), and Delhi, with

600-430: The period October to March. The train has 44 cabins in 11 coaches named after dynasties which ruled the region: Kadamba , Hoysala , Rashtrakuta , Ganga , Chalukya , Bahamani , Adil Shahi , Sangama , Satavahana , Yadukula and Vijayanagar . It has two restaurants, a lounge, conference, gym and spa facilities and satellite television, and is India's only train with onboard Wi-Fi connectivity. The tour covers

630-413: The platform. IRCTC offers travel insurance for passengers through a third party insurer. In 2018, a security researcher reported that a free travel insurance scheme offered by IRCTC, which caused users on their app to be redirected to a third party insurer, had left the information of approximately 2 lakh passengers exposed for two years. In response, IRCTC discontinued the insurance scheme before fixing

SECTION 20

#1732772586754

660-509: The states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India, where Buddhism originated over 2500 years ago. New itineraries include three pan-Indian journeys and two golden-triangle tours of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. The Maharajas' Express is India's most expensive train. It is a weeklong journey which begins and ends in New Delhi. It operates between September and April every year. The journey tracks

690-453: The ticket. In case of no confirmed reservation, a wait-list (WL) number is assigned. There are different types of wait-lists depending on the originating and destination stations of the train and the passenger including Roadside Station Waiting List (RSWL) when tickets are booked from the originating station to an intermediate station and Pooled Quota Waiting List (PQWL) where tickets booked to travel between specific sets of stations are pooled as

720-820: The title of Asia's Leading Luxury Train at the World Travel Awards in 2010–2012, 2014, and 2015–2019. In 2018, the train earned recognition for being the first to win the Asia's Leading Luxury Train award five consecutive times. The train was also named World's Leading Luxury Train in 2019. Previous nominations include World's Leading Travel Experience by Train (2009-2012), World's Leading Luxury Train (2010-2018, 2020), and Asia's Leading Luxury Train (2013, 2020–2021). Luxury rail trains in India Following two Bharat Gaurav Tourist Trains are currently being operated by IRCTC : It travels on six routes for

750-516: The train, Waavar and Utsav, which are managed by Taj Hotels . The Deccan Odyssey offers six different seven day, Seven night trips around Maharashtra, Rajasthan & Northern India, typically starting and ending in Delhi or Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus & Sajdarjung Railway Station, New Delhi. Guests can adhere to pre-arranged sightseeing tours or explore each stop on their own. Trips typically run between October and May. As of 2024,

780-451: The type of the train and the accommodation class. IRCTC also operates food plazas, cafeterias and refreshment rooms at various railway stations. In 2014, IRCTC launched e-catering services which allowed passengers to order food from private restaurants online or through phone and have it delivered to their seats. IRCTC also manages air-conditioned waiting lounges, retiring rooms and budget hotels at major railway stations. IRCTC launched

810-488: The vulnerability that had left this data exposed. In May 2020, the IRCTC made Aarogya Setu , an app launched by Government of India, to track Covid-19 . In May 2020, the app was made mandatory for train travel. In June 2020, the government clarified that downloading the app was optional and not mandatory for train travel after a directive from the Karnataka High Court . In 2018, IRCTC announced that it

840-591: Was introduced in 1994-95 as a joint venture between the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat and Indian Railways. The journey covers cities such as Delhi, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Junagarh, Veraval, Somnath, Sasan Gir National Park, Ahmedpur, Mandvi, Palitana, Sarkhej, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur. Attractions visited are the Hawa Mahal , Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Ranthambhore National Park , Chittorgarh Fort , Lake Palace , Keoladeo National Park , Agra Fort and

870-477: Was listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange with the Government holding a 67% ownership. As of December 2023, there are 66 million registered users with IRCTC with a daily average of 7.31 lakh tickets booked. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was established on 27 September 1999, as a public sector undertaking completely owned by the Government of India through

900-572: Was reduced to 87%, with the remaining shares being publicly traded. In December 2020, the Government of India divested another 20%, reducing its holding in the IRCTC to 67%. In December 2022, the government dis-invested further 5% of its share, reducing its ownership to 62.4%. Online ticketing for Indian Railways was introduced on 3 August 2002 through IRCTC. IRCTC provides multiple channels for passengers to book tickets through website , smartphone apps and SMS . For Electronic tickets (e-tickets) booked online, IRCTC issues an electronic ticket with

#753246