VISAKHAPATNAM: Achieving a milestone, the Indian Railways has launched the country’s first ever Vistadome coach services on Visakhapatnam-Araku route.
Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the facility at Vizag railway station through a video conference from Railway Sadan, Bhubaneswar, the headquarters of the East Coast Railway, on Sunday.
“The long cherished dream of Visakhaptnam tourists to travel in Vistadome coaches with wide windowpanes has become a reality. The objective here is to offer tourists to enjoy the scenic beauty, not only at destination, but also en route to picturesque Araku Valley,” the minister said after the inaugural.
Listing out the advance features of the coaches, Suresh Prabhu said glass roof, LED lights, revolving seats and GPS-based info system will certainly make it a comfortable and enjoyable journey for the tourists as well as the local residents.
“This is just the beginning, we have more surprises in store. Plans are afoot to introduce the Vistadome services in the scenic north eastern states to promote tourism,” he said.
On Sunday, the Vistadome coach, flagged off by Chandralekha Mukherjee, Waltair division DRM, and Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha, went on a trial run. The project will provide 15 jobs in off and onsite, the minister said.
The project mooted to attract more tourists to Vizag missed several deadlines owing to the delay in arrival of the coaches built by Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, at a cost of `3.38 crore. Of the two coaches proposed to be attached to the Kothavalasa- Kirandole passenger train, one coach arrived in the city two days ago and the second one will reach here in another 15 days.
Officials said that the services would be opened for public from Wednesday. The passengers can book the tickets online from Tuesday by paying approximately `650 per person.
The train will leave from Vizag railway station at 7.15 am daily and it will start from Araku at 4 pm during the return journey. The passengers can have panoramic view en route to Araku sitting in the revolving chairs. They can also enjoy the scenic beauty at the space available at the end of the coach.