In a one-of-its-kind venture to merge the nostalgic travel experience with contemporary luxury, the Indian Railways will inaugurate luxury restaurants within train coaches across seven railway stations within the state of Bihar, including Saharsa. The idea is to provide passengers and residents with the experience of having a meal in the type of settings that imitate the splendour of luxurious trains like the Maharaja Express. The Railways is also initiating something new by converting its old and unused train coaches into luxury restaurants, which will surely appeal to travellers as well as food lovers.
The project, according to the officials, will offer a unique experience by repurposing retired train coaches and transforming them into complete dining areas with air conditioning, contemporary design, ambient lighting, and chic seating setups. The cuisines that will be served in these restaurants will be very diverse, including traditional Indian cuisine with continental cuisine, which will help to create a fine-dining atmosphere inside the railway stations. It will also focus on giving a luxurious experience at a reasonable price, unlike other normal restaurants, which makes it affordable to many individuals.
The project has already reached the tendering phase of the process, and the private operators are invited to run these restaurants on a lease basis. It is believed that this model of partnership between the government and businesses will lead to several advantages, like providing the Railways with more revenue and giving the local population a chance to get a job. After they are operational, such restaurants will not only serve the railway passengers but will also serve the general population, making rail terminals their lifestyle destinations instead of their transit centres.
Saharsa is one of the six stations in Bihar that are shortlisted in this project. The Railways is expanding the range of experience that elite trains had previously held by introducing the idea of coach-based luxury dining to smaller towns. The move will also fall into line with the overall initiative by the Railways to repurpose and recycle old coaches instead of disposing of them and providing a new life to them.
The officials think that with the introduction of such restaurants, this will also promote tourism in Bihar because travellers will also have an additional reason to visit such stations. These restaurants will have their interior designed like luxury trains and will likely become attractions themselves. There will be increased footfall and business opportunities in the local communities as a result of this unique venture.
This project is an innovative effort by the Indian Railways to incorporate tradition and new technology into one. Dining provides the experience of luxury travel and opens new vistas to station-based experiences, representing a trend towards making railway stations more people-friendly and business-oriented.
