{{Short description|Luxury tourist train in India}} {{italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox train | background = maroon | name = ''Maharajas' Express'' | image = Maharaja-express-logo.png | imagesize = 150px | caption = Logo of the ''Maharajas' Express'' | interiorimage = Maharaja Express Índia.jpg | interiorcaption = | stocktype = | service = | manufacturer = | factory = | family = Luxury Trains | refurbishment = | replaced = | formation = | fleetnumbers = | operator = [[Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation]] | depots = | lines = | yearconstruction = | yearservice = {{start date and age|df=yes|2010|}} }}
The '''''Maharajas' Express''''' is a [[luxury train|luxury tourist train]] owned and operated by The [[Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation]] (IRCTC). It serves four routes across North-West and Central India, mainly centered on [[Rajasthan]] between the months of October and April.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-maharajas.com/|title=Maharajas' Express Introduction|access-date=25 July 2012|archive-date=26 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726170422/https://www.the-maharajas.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Maharajas' Express, often also referred to as the ''Orient Express of the Orient'', was voted "The World's Leading Luxury Train" Seven times in a row at The World Travel Awards from 2012 through 2018 and again in 2024 for the eighth time.<ref name="ORNT">{{cite news |last1=Malathronas |first1=John |title=11 of the world’s most luxurious train journeys |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/luxury-train-travel/index.html |access-date=14 February 2024 |work=CNN |date=8 December 2015 |language=en |quote=Often called "the Orient Express of the Orient", the Maharajas' Express is a recent entrant to the luxury train market.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldtravelawards.com/profile-30649-maharajas-express |title=World's Leading Luxury Train Award |access-date=8 September 2014 |archive-date=8 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908135402/http://www.worldtravelawards.com/profile-30649-maharajas-express |url-status=live }}</ref> Maharajas' Express also received recognition from the [[Condé Nast Traveler]] Readers' Choice Travel Award in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top Trains: Readers' Choice Awards 2022 |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/top-trains |website=Condé Nast Traveler |date=7 October 2019 |quote=18 The Maharaja's Express, India 82.69}}</ref>
==History== The train service was started in March 2010. The IRCTC and [[Cox & Kings|Cox and Kings India Ltd]]<ref name="maharajatoi">{{cite news|url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2010/06/03/33878/royal-rails-on-board-the-maharajas-express.html|title=For Rs 1 lakh a day, travel like a maharaja|last=Ghosh|first=Dwaipayan|date=5 October 2009<!--, 11:45 am IST-->|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=6 October 2009|location=India|archive-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018033434/http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2010/06/03/33878/royal-rails-on-board-the-maharajas-express.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> entered a joint venture, setting up Royale Indian Rail Tours Ltd (RIRTL) to oversee the functioning and management of the Maharajas' Express. This arrangement was terminated on 12 August 2011, and the train was then operated exclusively by IRCTC.<ref name="High Court Verdict">{{cite news|url=http://www.weeklyvoice.com/business-news/cox-kings-lose-franchise-to-maharaja-express/|title=Cox & Kings Lose Franchise To Maharaja Express|work=[[The Weekly Times]]|access-date=8 September 2014|location=India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908134605/http://www.weeklyvoice.com/business-news/cox-kings-lose-franchise-to-maharaja-express/|archive-date=8 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:Maharaja Express.jpg|thumb|Maharajas' Express halted at a railway station in Rajasthan and two ladies wearing traditional rajasthani dress, passing by.]]
==Carriages== The train comprises 23 carriages which include accommodation, dining, bar, lounge, generator, and store cars. Accommodation is available in 14 guest carriages with a total passenger capacity of 84. The train also has a lounge called the Rajah Club with a private bar, two dining cars, and a dedicated bar car. The train is also equipped with a water filtration plant.<ref name="TGRJ">{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/journeysbyrail/great-train-journeys/10792418/The-Maharajas-Express-Great-Train-Journeys.html |title=Great Rail Journeys |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115124327/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/journeysbyrail/great-train-journeys/10792418/The-Maharajas-Express-Great-Train-Journeys.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Maharajas' Express Train.jpg|thumb|Maharaja's Express arriving at the railway station]]
=== Guest cabins === The guest carriages provide seating and sleeping capacity for 84 guests. There are 20 Deluxe Cabins, 18 Junior Suites, 4 Suites, and a Presidential Suite. All suites have a full bath.<ref name="TGRJ" /> The Presidential suite occupies an entire rail carriage, incorporating a separate sitting-cum-dining room, a master bedroom and bathroom with shower and bathtub, plus a twin bedroom and bathroom with shower,<ref name="MET">{{cite web |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/maharajas-express-luxury-train/ |title=Rail Technology |work=Railway Technology |access-date=8 September 2014 |archive-date=14 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914073544/http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/maharajas-express-luxury-train |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Dining and bar coaches === The train has two dining cars—named ''Rang Mahal'' and ''Mayur Mahal''—designed for full fine dining service. ''Mayur Mahal'' (the Peacock restaurant) has a peacock feather theme in its décor.<ref name="MET"/> The ''Rajah Club'' is a dedicated bar carriage. The ''Safari'' lounge and bar have a multilingual library.
== Traction == it was hauled by both diesel and electrified locomotives. Diesel like Prateek [[WDP-4D]] and electrified like Vadodara-based Amul Branded [[WAP-5]]
== Routes == {{Maharajas' Express}}
Maharajas Express operates four different itineraries from October to April,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maharajaexpress.in/the-indian-splendour/the-indian-splendour.php|title=5 Journeys of Maharajas' Express|website=[[Worldwide Rail Journeys]]|access-date=14 March 2023|archive-date=14 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314103948/https://maharajaexpress.in/the-indian-splendour/the-indian-splendour.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TGRJ" /> of which two are short-term Golden Triangle (Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra) tours and the other three are week-long pan-India voyages:<ref>{{cite web |title=The Best Train Trips in the World: 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-trains-in-the-world |website=Condé Nast Traveler |date=22 November 2019 |quote=Each day of the itinerary includes special opportunities to experience India through the train’s luxurious and singular perspective: like an early-morning champagne breakfast on a private hillside overlooking the Taj Mahal.}}</ref>
{|class=wikitable ! Name !! Duration !! Route |- | Heritage of India || 6 Nights/7 Days || [[Mumbai]] – [[Ajanta, Maharashtra|Ajanta]] – [[Udaipur]] – [[Jodhpur]] – [[Bikaner]] – [[Jaipur]] – [[Ranthambore National Park|Ranthambore]] – [[Agra]] - [[New Delhi]] |- | Treasures of India || 3 nights/4 days || [[Delhi]] – Agra – Ranthambore – Jaipur – Delhi |- | Indian Panorama || 6 Nights/7 Days || Delhi – Jaipur – Jodhpur - Ranthambore – [[Fatehpur Sikri]] – Agra – [[Gwalior]] – [[Orchha]] – [[Khajuraho]] – [[Varanasi]] – [[Lucknow]] – Delhi |- | The Indian Splendour || 6 Nights/7 Days || Delhi – Agra – Ranthambore – Jaipur – Bikaner – Jodhpur – Udaipur – [[Balasinor]] – Mumbai |}
The train's curated journey includes participation in evening prayer rituals at the banks of river Ganga.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbesindia.com/article/lifes/the-most-luxurious-train-journeys-in-india/85935/1|title=The most luxurious train journeys in India|website=Forbes India|access-date=29 November 2023}}</ref>
==In popular media== *[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] correspondent [[Sir Trevor McDonald]] travels India by the Maharajas' Express in a 2019 documentary. *Featured in Episode 3 of Season 2 of the [[Discovery Channel Canada]] series ''[[Mighty Trains]]''. *Featured in Episode 2 of Amazon's ''James May: Our Man in India'' (2024)
==Gallery== <gallery> Maharajas' Express.jpg|A view of Maharajas' Express Indische Luxus Zugs.jpg|Luxury Beds in the Maharajas' Express Maharaja Express Índia.jpg|Foreign tourists at The Maharajas' Express Maharajas' Express - Mayur Mahal, dining (4809207224).jpg|Dining at Maharajas' Express </gallery>
== See also == {{colbegin}} *[[Fairy Queen (locomotive)|Fairy Queen]] *[[Palace on Wheels]] *[[Royal Orient]] *[[Deccan Odyssey]] *[[Mahaparinirvan Express]] *[[Golden Chariot]] *[[Royal Rajasthan on Wheels]] {{colend}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{commons category|Maharajas' Express}} * {{ URL|https://www.the-maharajas.com/}}
{{Indian Luxury Trains}} {{Indian Railways}} {{Udaipur}}
[[Category:Luxury trains in India]] [[Category:Transport in Udaipur]] [[Category:Rail transport in Rajasthan]] [[Category:2010 establishments in India]] [[Category:Railway services introduced in 2010]]