After a gap of six years, Karnataka’s express train – Golden Chariot – chugged off from the Yeshwanthpur Railway Station’s Platform-6 to Kochi on Saturday.

The trip – Jewel of the South – was flagged off by Karnataka Tourism Minister HK Patil with 38 international tourists on board, while the train has 80-bed capacity. It is operated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) along with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Indian Railways. IRCTC, which is marketing the train, has priced the ticket at INR 67,961.79 ($800).

The five-night-six-day circuit will cover Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur, Chettinad/ Karaikudi, Kochi and Chertala/ Mararikuluam in Kerala and back to Bengaluru.

Patil told the media that Golden Chariot is a special train for South India as it showcases the culture, tourism, history, nature, wildlife and heritage of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
“The train’s operations had been stopped from 2018 due to financial reasons. Now it has been started in cooperation with agencies from the central government. We have entered into a partnership with the Railways and hope to make profits,” he said.

An IRCTC official said three special customised trips were made in 2020 and 2021, but the occupancy was very poor. “As a new feature, we have introduced a provision for people/ companies to book the entire train and it can be taken on the routes (chosen from the itineraries already prepared by KSTDC and IRCTC). This chartered train service option has been availed by two private companies who have made bookings to take the train for trips on December 29 and February 13, 2025.”

KSTDC officials, who were present on the occasion, said that for February 2025, bookings have been made to run the train on the Pride of Karnataka circuit, which is a five-night-six-day trip, covering Bengaluru, Nanjangud, Mysuru, Halebidu, Chikkamagaluru, Hospet and Goa. KSTDC sources said the operations had stopped not just because of poor bookings and the corporation was unable to break even, but also because of high haulage charges.

Now even after signing agreements with IRCTC and Indian Railways, the haulage charge issues have not been ironed out. “We are hoping the train does not stop again or ticket prices are not increased because of this,” the source said. (Source: The New Indian Express)