First time in 45 years: Rajasthan’s luxury train ‘Palace on Wheels’ to run in May

“May in Rajasthan is not for the faint-hearted. With temperatures soaring past 42 degrees Celsius and the tourist tide at its yearly ebb, most operators choose to wait for September and resume operations then.

A leading nationalised bank — a cornerstone institution of India’s financial landscape — has booked the entire Palace on Wheels for an exclusive journey. In a time when global financial markets have been rattled by international tensions and economic uncertainty, the choice of a nationalised bank to invest in a full-train charter speaks powerfully of institutional confidence in India’s domestic travel ecosystem,” reads the statement.

Luxury tourist train ‘Palace on Wheels’ to run in May for first time (Image: NWR)

Palace on Wheels: Route, Train number

The Palace on Wheels train will operate for a special six-day journey this month from May 20 to May 25. The luxury train will depart from Delhi Safdarjung and cover around 2,610 km during the trip, travelling through destinations including Durgapura, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Berach, Rana Pratap Nagar, Udaipur, Chanderia, Marwar Junction, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Phulera, among others.

According to North Western Railway’s notification number NWR/CHG/10/2026, the Palace on Wheels will run as train number 00290. It will operate under Indian Railways’ Bharat Gaurav Train Policy.

The train will comprise 22 coaches, including six WPCT-1 saloon coaches, seven WPCT-2 saloon coaches, one Super Deluxe saloon coach, two restaurant-cum-bar coaches, and dedicated kitchen, staff, service and spa cars, among others. The 14 coaches of the Palace-on-Wheels, each coach named after the princely states of Alwar, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Bundi, Dholpur, Durgapur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Kota, Sirohi and Udaipur.