Yeswantpur-Mangaluru Express train with Vistadome rail coaches flagged off from Bengaluru

The Vistadome coach has a number of passenger amenities provided to enhance their visual experience when they are travelling through the picturesque Western Ghats.
Passengers take a selfie with the Vistadome coach at Yeswantpur station in Bengaluru on Monday. (Photo | Express)
Passengers take a selfie with the Vistadome coach at Yeswantpur station in Bengaluru on Monday. (Photo | Express)

BENGALURU: The passengers of the first train with Vistadome coaches from South Western Railway Zone were welcomed with roses and chocolates as it chugged out of platform six from the Yeswantpur Railway Station to Mangaluru Junction on Monday at 7 am. 

A total of 51 seats were booked in the two Vistadome coaches decked up with colourful balloons. AN Krishna Reddy, senior divisional commercial manager, Bengaluru division informed that the ticket for an AC Chair car in the special Vistadome coach is priced at Rs 1395 as compared to Rs 580 on the AC chair car in a normal coach. 

The Vistadome coach has a number of passenger amenities provided to enhance their visual experience when they are travelling through the picturesque Western Ghats. The transparent roof provides a panoramic view along with wide glass windows, ergonomically designed eats that can rate upto 180 degrees to help passengers enjoy the view outside from all directions. LHB Coaches, bogies with secondary suspension for a better ride, space for luggage, snacks, wi-fi, wider entrance doors for Divyang passengers and automatic sliding doors at both ends of the coach are among other facilities.

Railway officials welcome passengers of Vistadome coach with roases and chocolates (Photo | Express)
Railway officials welcome passengers of Vistadome coach with roases and chocolates (Photo | Express)

Azmath was the first to book tickets on a Vistadome coach on this train (No. 06211) for himself and his son, Musaibulla Khan, a travel vlogger. “We took a regular train from Bengaluru upto Mangaluru a couple of days ago. We travelled by the first Vistadome train run from Mangaluru yesterday (Sunday) by the Southern Railway to get a feel of the new coach. And today, we are taking the first such train from the Bengaluru end. The view would be different when the direction is changed. We wanted to experience that and my son wants to vlog about it all,” he said.

Five friends, all bankers, were among the passengers in the special coach. “Since it is the first time such a train would be run, we all wanted to experience the feeling and decided to travel by it, ” said Y Kaushik.

Dr Krishna Rao and his cousin Srinivas Murthy, an engineer too were on board. “Viewing the Western Ghats through Vistadome coaches will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are thankful to the government for it. The coaches are well maintained and there is enough space for luggage. We wish we had our family members too with us,” said Rao.

Chief Public Relations Officer, SWR, Aneesh Hegde said the most picturesque view along the Ghats would be between Sakleshpur and Subramanya Road stations. It would reach Sakleshpur at 11 am and Subrahmanya Road station at 2.30 pm, he added.

“It is hoped that augmentation of Vistadome coaches will entice tourists, families going on trips as well as those planning to visit places of pilgrim importance such as Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya apart from regular travellers to undertake this journey,” GM, SWR, Gajanan Mallya told The New Indian Express,

Apart from Reddy, the three Additional Divisional Railway Managers of the Bengaluru Division, Kusuma Hariprasad, Lakshman Singh and Amandeep Kapoor were present during the launch.

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