Title - Now travel hassle free from Delhi to Jaipur and back in the double-decker train

Travelling between Delhi and Jaipur by road has become harrowing with the highway undergoing expansion. The trip by air is frustrating, thanks to difficult-to-predict flight cancellations and soaring domestic fares.But there's good news. On August 16, a day after Independence Day, Indian Railways will flag off a double-decker train service between the national Capital and the Pink City. Top railway officials confirmed that the air-conditioned, chair car service will be flagged off by Railway Minister Mukul Roy on that day from Delhi's Sarai Rohilla.A daily service, the train will leave Sarai Rohilla at 5:35 pm and reach Jaipur at 10:05 pm. If you want to avoid the traffic rush of Delhi, you can board the train at Delhi Cantt, from where it will depart at 5:55 pm.The train will leave Jaipur every morning at 6 am and arrive in Delhi at 10.30 am. There will be just three stoppages: Delhi Cantt, Gurgaon and Gandhi Nagar between Sarai Rohilla and Jaipur.Tickets are priced at Rs.330 per traveller, nearly what a car passenger travelling between Delhi and Agra will pay one way on the Yamuna Expressway.The Delhi-Jaipur train is the second double-decker AC service to be launched by the railways. In 2010, former railway minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off a similar service between Dhanbad and Howrah. The railways plan to start another double-decker service between Mumbai and Ahmedabad also this month. "It is set to roll any time... we have our clearances in place and awaiting the date from the minister," a senior western railway official said.

The Delhi-Jaipur train has not been given a name yet. The 10-13 coach train will seat 128 passengers in a coach, almost 70 per cent more passengers than the seating capacity of a Shatabdi coach, and run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

A senior Railway Board official said: "The double-decker service is welcome. At the moment, travellers get stuck in snarls on NH-8 and make the journey between the two cities in seven hours instead of four. There are numerous diversions as the road is being expanded making the trip hazardous. Similarly, flight schedules are erratic and you end up spending the same time by air also."

Railways officials from northern and north-western zones boasted of a "different travel experience comparable to international standards in the high-speed coaches".

The coaches come with air spring suspensions for superior riding quality.

The chairs have been placed face-to-face to ensure families enjoy the ride. For fire safety, the chairs have specially designed upholstery and all the coaches are fire-proof.

Every coach has fire extinguishers at the automatic doors, eight emergency windows and a mini pantry stocked with a fridge, microwave and hot cases. "Snacks will be served onboard from the catering of north-western railway," an official said.