Bangalore-Goa luxury train from November 1st

Bangalore-Goa luxury train from November 1st
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The green signal given by Karnataka State Tourism Department will yield royal results when state’s first luxury train will blow the whistle on November 1st.

Tourists will royally visit the heritage sites in this ‘Heritage Express’. Pendse and Associates, a Mumbai based private firm, has designed the interiors and exteriors of this ‘Kannadiga Palace on Wheels’.

Designs are based on temple architecture of Belur and Halebid, apart from the royal Mysore Palace. The carvings and paintings will also showcase the rich architecture of Vijayanagar Dynasty.

Speaking to this website's newspaper, Secretary of Department of Information, Tourism and Kannada and Culture I M Vittalamurthy said that this is the first luxury train of Karnataka and will showcase the richness of Karnataka.

“The train will start from November 1. We are focussing at high end tourists from across the nation. The art pieces have been handpicked by architects, where each will explains the heritage destinations,” he said.

This Bangalore to Goa train will cover places like Mysore, Hassan, Belur, Halebid, Ihole, Pattadakal and Shravanbelgola and Hampi. The train will halt for a night at various destinations before reaching Goa.

“All aspects of tourism which the department has introduced will be covered like heritage tourism, eco-tourism, health tourism and even fun tourism,” he said.

Vittalamurthy also pointed that the name and the tariff of the package tours of the ‘Heritage Express’ is not yet finalised.

Pendse and Associates’ Architect and Interior Designer Kusum Pendse said that the 11 cabin coaches will be named after heritage places. None of the architectural works replicate the other. There will also be two restaurant coaches, a lounge bar, a lounge conference coach and a gymnasium.

“The passengers need not even get off the train to know about the place as the architecture will explain and display the artistic beauty of each place in detail. Wood, steel and laminates have been used for the interiors,” she asserted.

“The interiors will be elegant, beautifully coloured in Indian silks and fabrics. The interiors will also include sculpted monuments. Mysore Palace with unending treasures of India, ethnic colonnade, beautiful floral details, stained glass ceiling domes, blended birds and floral motifs, variety of bracket with peacock, swan, brass and metal grilles will be present in the lounge, bar, restaurant and cabin coaches,” she said.

“The temple architecture will carry profuse and detailed grille like carvings. The unending variety of colonnade, brackets, eaves borders, torans on doors will reflect the temple architecture,” added Pendse.