27 March,2026 08:54 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Deccan Queen goes vintage chic. (Pic/Special arrangement)
The iconic 95-year-old Deccan Queen has taken a leaf out of the Pullman and Orient Express playbook with its revamped dining car. Speaking on the occasion, a Central Railway spokesperson said, "It is not just the dining car, but the entire train has been refurbished"
Inspired by 19th-century luxury trains, the new dining coach features sofa-style seating, polished wood panelling and a classic dining saloon feel. Adorned with Warli paintings, sepia-toned frames and warm yellow lighting, it recreates the charm of Victorian-era rail travel.
The Deccan Queen remains the only train in India with a dedicated dining car offering table service.
The Pullman and Orient Express were known for redefining train travel with plush seating, rich wood interiors and understated luxury, an experience the new dining car aims to echo.
"It is not just the dining car, but the entire train has been refurbished," a Central Railway spokesperson said. Coach interiors have been redesigned with new panels and vibrant themes. Air fragrance dispensers have been installed to enhance the onboard ambience. Lavatories have been upgraded with modern fittings, and AC chair car seating now has new covers along with improved doorway areas."
"It is a brand new train now, with a mix of culture, heritage and technology," he added.
The makeover was launched as part of a âTrain Mahotsav', which saw enthusiastic participation from passengers, railway officials and rail enthusiasts celebrating the legacy of one of Indian Railways' most iconic trains.
The celebrations began an hour before the train's scheduled 5:10 pm departure. The Deccan Queen was decorated with flowers, reflecting its royal legacy. An audio-visual presentation traced its journey since 1930 and highlighted its contributions to Indian Railways.
The Deccan Queen has several milestones to its name:
The Deccan Queen is the only train in India with a dedicated dining car offering table service. It is equipped with modern pantry facilities, including a microwave oven, deep freezer and toaster, and features cushioned seating and carpeted interiors for a premium experience.
"I have been travelling on this train for decades and have always been drawn to the dining car. The timings have been legendary. It is for this dining car that I take the train, and the new look is just out of the world."
"I have been travelling on this train for ten years. It is one of the best connections between Mumbai and Pune and is known for its punctuality."
Today's Train Mahotsav, organised by Central Railway, celebrating the iconic Deccan Queen - one of its most prestigious trains - transported me back to the earliest days of my railway journey, memories that remain deeply etched in my heart.
In 1989, as a 23-year-old newly inducted into the reservation cadre of the Commercial Department of Central Railway, I was entrusted with the challenging responsibility of reserving entire second-class coaches of the Deccan Queen at Pune. Given the extraordinary demand,
In those days, reservations at Pune were entirely manual - long before the advent of computerisation. Each booking required meticulous effort: receiving passenger requisition forms, entering details in the designated Deccan Queen reservation register, and carefully recording every passenger's name, age, gender, along with the corresponding ticket number. The allotted coach and seat numbers were then handwritten on the ticket, while the ticket number and fare value were duly noted on the requisition form.
This was the painstaking process through which the entire train - comprising approximately eight second-class reserved coaches - was booked.
From the moment the counter opened at 7:30 a.m., there would be a steady surge of passengers, and by around 11:30 a.m., the train for a given day would invariably be fully reserved. The few intense hours, meant manually recording the details of nearly 750 to 800 passengers - demanding concentration, speed, and accuracy.
These recollections belong to an era when the Advance Reservation Period was just three days (excluding the date of journey) for Pune, and sixty days for longer-distance destinations - a time when dedication, precision, and a deep sense of duty formed the backbone of railway service.
Looking back, it was not merely a task, but a profound learning experience combining discipline and resilience, and today a pride in being a part of the great the celebration of this iconic train of Central Railway,when I m just a month short for my super annulation.
