1 of the World’s Most Expensive Train Rides Includes Your Own Butler
While jet-setters quickly hop around the globe, train travel remains steadily available. It’s especially pleasant for folks wanting to slow down and enjoy more of the journey. One luxury train, the Maharajas’ Express, is operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The train is listed as one of the most expensive rail rides in the world, and it’s certainly lavish.
The IRCTC is seated under the Government of India’s Ministry of Railways. It’s meant to step up hospitality, catering, and other services at Indian trains and stations. And it sure runs the Maharajas’ Express with its mission in mind.
The train has 23 cars plus the engine and is about a half-mile long. Two generator cars and two staff cars flank 14 guest cars.
Boarding gets you access to two restaurants, a bar, and a club lounge. Uniquely, every guest car is granted dedicated butler service. Butlers man a single carriage and are available 24/7.
Each guest car is named after a gemstone. From the standard deluxe cabin to the presidential suite, room sizes range from 112 sq. ft to over 400 sq. ft. This might sound tight, but for anyone who has traveled by train, these dimensions are actually super spacious.
Passenger cars are split into front and rear groups by the dining and bar cars, which are centrally placed for convenience. Still, guests might have to walk tight hallways a long way to get back and forth from their cabins.
The presidential suite features a posh living room with dining space and separate bedrooms. At an eye-watering $4,500 per night, you could opt for a deluxe cabin for a more reasonable $1,630.
YouTubers Kara and Nate shelled out $28,000 for a suite on one of the train’s longer tours. In the video, you can see their suite’s relatively swanky amenities, including a spacious full bathroom.
The Maharajas’ Express offers four tourist packages: Heritage of India, Treasures of India, Indian Panorama, and Indian Splendor. Each sets off from either Delhi or Mumbai. The shortest journey, “Heritage of India,” is four days and three nights, while the other tours last seven days and six nights and hit more attractions.
While it’s one of the world’s most expensive tourist trains, it doesn’t top shorter, more opulent trips on the Orient Express. Kara and Nate spent another $28K for 24 hours in its Vienna Grand Suite.
