Karnataka’s luxury train to boast of health club and massage parlours

Karnataka’s much-awaited luxury train, modelled on the lines of the famed Palace on Wheels of Rajasthan, will boast of a health club and massage parlours when it rolls out of Bangalore next year.

Disclosing this to reporters, Karnataka Government’s Tourism Secretary I M Vittal Murthy said the eighteen-compartment train, which accommodates upto 120 passengers, will be Karnataka’s answer to the envied Palace on Wheels of Rajasthan and Deccan Odyssey of Maharashtra. “But, the health club and massage parlours are unique only to our train”, he said.

The Rs 360 million palatial train, which is expected to become operational by July 2007, will devote eleven compartments to passengers. The rest will feature a multi-cuisine restaurant that will also have local culinary specialities, an Internet centre, an audio-visual centre for recreation, besides a health club and massage parlours.

The interiors of the train, which will chug through the heart of Karnataka covering several places of tourist importance, will reflect the grandeur of the State. “Each room will have different flavours of tourist destinations like Hampi, Belur and Halebid. The lounge bar promises to be on a par with Mysore royalty. There will be both single as well as double beds in the cabins”, he said.

When the train halts at various stations on its six-night and seven-day journey, luxury buses will transport passengers to tourist destinations. The passengers on the luxury train can afford themselves the visual treats places of tourist interest like Mysore, Srirangapatna, Belur, Halebid, Hampi, Badami, Aihole and Dandeli offer.

Interestingly, the route also has Goa on its itinerary as the train journey culminates in Vasco. The passengers on the train can even visit Goa as part of their package.

However, the Tourism Department authorities in Karnataka are yet to find a dazzling name for the luxury train. “We are planning to throw open a contest to elicit fresh ideas. The prize could probably be a free trip on the train’s maiden voyage”, Vittal Murthy said.