With an aim to tap the higher middle class and leisure travellers, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which runs the luxury train Deccan Odyssey, plans to use the train for Religious Tourism to the popular pilgrimage destination, Shirdi in Ahmednagar district. MTDC will charge around Rs 20,000 per person for the round trip. The journey will also cover Trimbakeshwar, venue of one of the Jyotirlinga Temples, near Nashik. The refurbished train is expected to make its first run in a week’s time.
An MTDC official said, “When first commissioned, the train used to take tourists around Maharashtra (there was also a day trip to Goa) to promote tourism in the state. But this did not receive an encouraging response and we handed over the train to a private operator. Now the train has been repainted from navy blue to purple and the interiors have undergone much change. Soon, we will run two-night round trips to Shirdi, the schedule for which is yet to be finalised.” |