BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Railway Suresh Prabhu on Sunday launched a new train with Vistadome coach between Visakhapatnam and Araku. Prabhu who was here for BJP’s national executive committee meeting, flagged-off the trial run of the train which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities through video-conferencing from the Rail Sadan here.
Vistadome coach has a tourist-friendly ambiance with features like glass roof, LED lights and GPS-enabled information system. The tourists travelling from the coastal town and Araku valley can engage in sight-seeing at the hill station, besides getting a panoramic view of the route through the journey, said Prabhu.
The Vistadome air-conditioned coach has glassed-in domed ceiling, auto-sliding doors, rotatable chairs, double reclining seats and a multi-tier luggage rack. Facilities like LED lights, laptop and mobile charging points, GPS-based passenger information, digital display boards and audio system are also available in the coach.
Prabhu launched a couple of other initiatives by the Railways today. He laid the foundation stone of a mechanised laundry at Visakhapatnam which will be setup under Build Own Operate Transfer model. The facility would significantly improve the quality of linen used in the trains, for a better passenger experience, the Minister said.
Prabhu inaugurated ‘Lifeline Express’ (the hospital train), at Sindhudurg in Maharastra. The Lifeline Express would provide diagnostic, medical, and advanced surgical treatment to persons with disabilities and reach out to inaccessible rural pockets which lack proper medical services, said Prabhu. The train has seven coaches, including a facility that would help in treatment of various disabilities, dental issues, epilepsy, and cancer services, for free, sources said.
Among others, Union Minster of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, Visakhapatnam MP K Hari Babu, MLA PVK Raju, MLC K Satyanarayan Raju, General Manager East Coast Railway Umesh Singh, Visakhapatnam DRM Chandralekha Mukharjee, senior railway officials and public representatives were present during the launch.