Glass-roofed Vistadome train coach to run from Mumbai to Goa only thrice a week till Oct-end

The glass-roofed Vistadome coach, which offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Konkan coast en route to Goa, will be attached to the Dadar-Madgaon Jan Shatabdi Express only thrice a week instead of all seven days, till end of October.

Railway authorities said the Vistadome would be attached to the train leaving from Dadar on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Thus, it will be attached to the train departing from Madgaon on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

This arrangement will continue till October 20.

On days when the train won’t be fitted with the Vistadome, a two-tier air-conditioned coach will be attached, till September 25.

LK Verma, chief public relations officer of Konkan Railway, said the Vistadome’s running days have been reduced owing to the Konkan Railway’s monsoon timetable. As per the timetable, the speed of all trains has been reduced to 75-90kmph from 110kmph because of the hilly, landslide-prone terrain.

The Vistadome, first attached in the Dadar-Madgaon Jan Shatabdi in September 2017, is the second such glass-roofed coach running on Indian Railways. The first such coach runs between Visakhapatnam and Araku Valley hill station. The Chennai-based Integrated Coach Factory has built the luxury coach.

The railways have introduced the special coach to promote tourism. It has an electronically controlled glass roof that can be made transparent for a great view, seats that rotate 180 degrees, an observation lounge and automatic doors, among other features. The 40-seat coach was launched on the Konkan route as the landscape is scenic, with ghats, creeks, rivers, valleys and paddy fields.