Bhopal MP Tourism Christmas Celebration: Along with the whole world, Christmas was celebrated in Madhya Pradesh as well, in state capital Bhopal, where prayer meetings were held in churches, people celebrated it at different places in the evening, MP Tourism in Bhopal also organized Rail Coach Restaurant on the occasion of this festival. Special arrangements were made at Shan-e-Bhopal, not only in the country but in the world’s first rail coach restaurant, a large number of people arrived to celebrate and eat on the occasion of Christmas.
It is noteworthy that in the year 2007, MP Tourism bought this rail bogie from Bhopal Nishatpura and converted it into a restaurant, this rail coach has been installed at Ashoka Lake View Hotel located in Shyamala Hills. This unused train bogie has been converted and recreated with a backdrop of real sights and sounds of a railway platform.
It is noteworthy that Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) had introduced this idea to promote tourism. According to Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation manager Sanjit Bakshi, the coach restaurant has been equipped with all the railway accessories including lights and signals. For special effects, actual sounds of a railway platform are played. A railway signal has been installed to indicate whether the restaurant is open or closed. Other features include cast iron furniture, silver cutlery and crockery, old-fashioned street lamps, lanterns and signals that were used by the Great India Peninsular Railway in 1849.
