Travel like a Maharaja in India with IRCTC

IRCTC is one of the world's largest e-commerce portal and catering service provider

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC), a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railway, is the tourism arm of Indian Railways. It provides a full range of hospitality, travel and tourism services to rail passengers.
IRCTC is one of the world's largest e-commerce portal and catering service provider. Says Dr A K Manocha, Chairman and Managing Director, IRCTC: "We have 35 million registered users on our site (www.irctc.co.in) and every day there are 2.5 million hits. On an average about 550,000 tickets are bought every day, which is more than the tickets sold worldwide by all airlines."
On April 1 last year, a record 1.34 million tickets were sold through the site, as it was the day the extended advance reservation period of four months - from three months earlier - came into force.
"We have a robust infrastructure and invest large sums in upgrading it," says Manocha. "We are always open to invest anytime in improving our ticketing system."
While ticketing and catering are the major components of its operations, IRCTC also owns the Maharajas' Express, one of the finest luxury trains. The Maharajas' Express has been bestowed the 'World's leading luxury train' award at the World Travel Awards for three consecutive years.
The train has redefined the luxury travel experience by offering guests the opportunity to explore fabled destinations providing a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of Incredible India.
Manocha points out that the train has been promoted at global tourism events including in the Gulf. NRIs, Arabs and other expatriates in the Gulf are among those who are being seen as potential travellers in the luxury train.
The train features deluxe cabins, junior suites, suites and a presidential suite as well. There are currently five packages on the train - the Indian Splendour (eight days and seven nights), the Heritage of India (eight days/seven nights), Treasures of India (four days/three nights), Gems of India (four days/three nights) and the Indian Panorama (eight days/seven nights).
Rates range from a low of $2,910 for single supplement on the four days/three nights package in a deluxe cabin to $23,700 for the eight days/seven nights package in the presidential suite.

• India