Second Palace on Wheels to be rolled out by mid-2008

Bangalore, Jan 10 (UNI) The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) will introduce another Palace on Wheels by mid-2008 as the popularity of the present one has hit a new high, with foreign tourists booking the luxury train for the next four years.

Speaking at a workshop organised by the IRCTC on 'Innovative Tour Packages from IRCTC' here today, its South Zone Additional General Manager J Vinayan said the second Palace on Wheels train in Rajasthan would be introduced in the next 18 months to meet the demand. The coaches were being manufactured for the train.

On the much delayed luxury train on the lines of the Palace on Wheels in the Southern circuit, covering Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he said it would be introduced by October this year and the coaches were being given final touches. The IRCTC would introduce another tourist special 'Southern Splendour', with the active cooperation of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation next year, he added.

Mr Vinayan said the IRCTC ran the largest e-ticketing network in the entire Asia-Pacific region. The IRCTC, through e-ticketing network, booked over 30,000 tickets every day and its turnover was over Rs 1,600 crore per year.

The IRCTC proposed to start its own call centre in four metros, each with 1,000 seating capacity, to cater to the needs of the travelling public. Presently, the Indian Railways received over 18 lakh calls, seeking information on a wide range of operations. The proposed call centres would not only offer basic services like providing arrival and departure information, but also provide value-added products including reservation, delivery of tickets and related services, he said.

UNI