A special welcome was accorded to about 70 passengers of Golden Chariot, the royal purple-coloured luxury train from Bangalore, at the Egmore Railway Station on Tuesday as they were part of its maiden journey to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.
The foreign passengers were greeted with garlands and treated to a dance performance by folk artists when the train chugged in at 8 a.m.
Operated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), the eight-day-and-seven-night tour has been named ‘Southern Splendour,' as it showcases the splendours of the southern States and Union Territory covering Mamallapuram, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kovalam, Alappuzha, Kochi and back to Bangalore.
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Southern Splendour is the second itinerary of the Golden Chariot, which has been showcasing important destinations to tourists between Bangalore and Goa for the last two years. After the present trip, the Golden Chariot will travel to Goa on March 29 and thereafter be halted for nearly two months for maintenance.
Talking to reporters, KSTDC Managing Director Vinay Luthra said they would be beginning the regular trip on this sector from October 4 onwards. Thereafter, it would be operated on alternative weeks.