Vistadome glass-ceiling coach launched by Indian Railways

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off Visakhapatnam-Kirandul passenger train with first of its kind, see-through, vistadome coaches through a video link from Bhubaneswar. The Vistadome air-conditioned coach is a first-of-its-kind on Indian Railways that has been introduced with an aim to promote tourism. The 40 seat coach has been built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu at a cost of INR 3.38 crore. At present only one coach has been attached to the train on trial basis. Similar coaches are expected to be introduced in other routes like northeast as well.

Features

The vistadome coaches have the specially designed features like glass roof, LED lights, rotating seats, GPS-based information system, large glass windows and observation lounge among others. It also has a glass-domed ceiling, automatic sliding doors and a multi-tier luggage rack. The coach will offer a panoramic view of the sites along the 128-km rail route from Visakhapatnam to Araku valley hill station.
A unique feature of the coach is the double-wide reclining passenger seats which could be rotated 360 degrees for a better sightseeing experience. This feature will enable tourists to get breathtaking views of Anantagiri ghat section, Lambasingi, Borra caves and the tunnels lying all along the route.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2017