If you're a fan of landscapes on a grand scale, India is hard to beat, and there is no better way to enjoy its views than through the windows of the Indian Railways.
But if your memories of the Indian Railways are often associated with stinking tracks and dirty coaches, you'll be pleased to know that Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu is set to change all that. By introducing glass-ceiling luxury coaches in trains, he is all set introduce luxury travel in Indian trains.
With the intention of providing a delightful travelling experience to travellers, Prabhu on Sunday introduced a see-through Vistadome coach on the Visakhapatnam to Kirandul passenger train.
The especially-designed Vistadome air-conditioned coach will have large glass windows, glass-ceiling, LED lights, rotating and reclining seats, along with automatic sliding doors and a multi-tier luggage rack.
For now, this coach will be attached to a train running between Visakhapatnam and Araku, which comes under the East Coast Railway zone.
“We have received an order from the IRCTC for coaches with partial glass ceilings. These coaches will be attached to regular trains and will ply on the Araku Valley route in Visakhapatnam and also in Kashmir valley. We have completed the design of the coaches and will start manufacturing them now,” GS Srinivas, the Chief Design Engineer at Integral Coach Factory, told FE Online.
“The concept is similar to the windows of a Dreamliner. Not only will the coaches sport big windows to offer a panoramic view, but will also have partial glass roofs, that are special because they can be made transparent and opaque based on the hour of the day. This will be done electrically, if it is too sunny, the glass can be turned opaque as well,” GS Srinivas added.
With Vistadome coaches, travellers have the liberty of enjoying a clear view of the breathtaking Anantagiri Ghat section, Borra Caves, Lambasingi, and the tunnels along the route.
If there's one thing the Indian Railways have taught us, it's the invaluable lesson that journeys are way more memorable than the destination, and with super swanky Vistadome coaches, journeys are destined to be an incredible experience.
Have a look at the pictures:
Need a reason to visit Araku Valley? I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Enjoy Araku Valley from this glass-top train and share your experience with 25 million travellers on Tripoto!