Speaking to The Indian Express, chairman of Oberoi Hotels P R S (Biki) Oberoi said, ‘‘Last week, we sent a proposal to the ministry presenting our project—the Oberois will own 52 per cent share and the other partners, Railway Ministry and Rajasthan Tourism, will own 24 per cent each. The proposed train will be called Oberoi Luxury on Wheels and will have our unmistakable stamp of luxury, sumptuousness and splendour. You can confidently leave that to us. There has been a great demand for luxe rail cruises and the Oberoi train will surpass all expectations.’’

The Great Train Rush is only going to get bigger. The Rajasthan Government-run Palace on Wheels is already booked up to 2009, and with a tourism explosion waiting to happen, the Oberois are ready to cash in on an emerging new trend.

Says P K Goel, executive director (Tourism and Catering) in the Railway Ministry, ‘‘We are always looking for such ideas and the Oberoi proposal is a first in this sector. We have no objections to anyone running such trains on the tourism sector.’’

He, however, says the terms of ownership will still have to be worked out. ‘‘The Oberoi proposal is only a draft, we will see how much investment is required and work out the modalities. I don’t think there will be much problem, but the Railways are in the business too.’’

According to Oberoi, the train can carry 48 passengers, will have three cabins in each of the eight glamourous cars. ‘‘We will buy the carriages from the Railways and fit them with our stylishly created interiors. The private compartments will be a private lounge in the day and will turn into a luxurious bedroom in the night. There will be personal service with cabin stewards, sumptuous cuisine with ever-changing menus presented by the chef on board and a bar. The train will also have an observation car, a staff car and a generator car. It will be a seven-night, eight-day journey.’’

The train will start from Delhi and will travel to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Chittor, Ranthambore, Agra before arriving back in Delhi. It will travel all night and reach a new destination every day.

The project’s future also lies with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking, which will fund the ministry’s share in the project.