Title - Golden Chariot on 100th trip, attracts more desi tourists

MYSORE: The Golden Chariot — the only luxury train in South India — has achieved a milestone with one of its two tourism trains chugging though the state on its 100th trip. The only other train to achieve this feat is the Palace on Wheels, owned by the Indian Railways.The Golden Chariot offers two circuits — Pride of the South (which covers only Karnataka) and the Southern Splendour (which covers three states and a Union territory). The Splendour started its record journey on November 12 and will wind up this weekend.The luxury train was launched in March 2008. Initially, it saw an occupancy rate of 42-50%. In the last two trips, it has logged a better occupancy rate, thanks, according to tourism officials, to the recent promos both in India and abroad. The Golden Chariot saw for the first time, perhaps, more domestic tourists than those from abroad. The milestone journey has 86 passengers on board.The tourism train is expected to break even next year — in less than five years of its launch. This contrasts starkly with the Palace on Wheels — the pride of the Indian Railways — which took nine years to reach the break-even stage after its launch in 1982, according to Golden Chariot project director M Srinivas.