Glass roof, LCDs, freezer: Central Railways gets first Vistadome coach
What's the story
With the latest shipment from the Integrated Coach Factory in Chennai, quality of trains in Central Railways has gone up a notch. The new Vistadome coach is everything Indian Railway coaches are not: adorned with customizable glass roofs and big windows, it will also have automatic doors, 12 hanging LCDs and 40 push-back seats along with a fridge, oven and juicer-grinder. Talk about luxury!
Details
This is the second such coach in Indian Railways
This is the second such coach in Indian Railways; the first, costing Rs. 3.38cr, runs on the 128-km Visakhapatnam-Araku Valley route. Unique features were the reclining seats that could be rotated 360 degrees as well as the glass roof fitted with electrically-controlled opalescence, both for better sightseeing experience. Former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said a similar coach would be introduced in the northeast soon.
Challenges
What went wrong with the previous initiative?
Despite the abundant luxury, the coach didn't garner much interest initially: tickets were priced steep at Rs. 665, and the Araku departure time of 4:10pm, just before dark, meant passengers couldn't enjoy the view either. The new coach is stationed at Mumbai's Wadi Bunder for now; the route and fare hasn't been decided yet. Railways has to ensure previous mistakes aren't repeated.