The Vistadome coach will not be a part of the daily Shatabdi service between Mumbai and Goa during the monsoon. The coach will be part of the train three times a week in each direction. The decision came into effect from Tuesday and will continue till September 24. The coach was introduced to the Dadar-Madgaon Jan Shatabdi Express in September 2017.
In the revised timetable, the coach will run on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Mumbai and on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Madgaon. On Wednesday, it will go for maintenance.
“The decision had to be taken as under the monsoon timetable we will need deploy two rakes for our daily service. In other seasons, the same rake travels to and from Madgaon daily,” said L.K. Verma, Chief Public Relations Officer, Konkan Railway.
A special monsoon timetable is created for Konkan Railway services, where the train timings for all trains is increased by a couple of hours as speed restrictions are imposed on all trains due to the hilly nature of the route.
In the Jan Shatabdi’s case while the train will depart at the same time from Mumbai, it will reach Madgaon at 4 p.m instead of 2.05 p.m. Mr. Verma said on the days the Vistadome will not operate, a two-tier air-conditioned coach will be part of the train.
90% bookings a day
The glass-roofed Vistadome coach was introduced so passengers could enjoy a panoramic view. It is the second such coach in the Indian Railways, the first one being introduced between Visakhapatnam and Araku Valley. Since its introduction, the coach has seen its popularity surge.
According to railway officials, it peaked during April and May, registering nearly 90% bookings every day on an average.
Officials also said since the monsoon is not peak season, demand for the coach may also reduce.