Indian Railways narrow gauge heritage train in Gujarat makes trial run with AC vista dome coach

Indian Railways’ 107-year-old Billimora-Vaghai narrow gauge heritage train service recently made its first trial run with an attached AC vista dome coach. In December 2020, the train which runs between Billimora in Navsari and Vaghai in Dangs, South Gujarat was scrapped by the Western Railway zone (later, the decision was revoked), according to an IE report.

Piyush Goyal chaired Railway Ministry, on 10 December 2020, approved the proposal to scrap services of Western Railways’ 11 “uneconomic branch lines” as well as narrow gauge sections, including three from the state of Gujarat, including the Billimora-Vaghai train. The heritage train service was started by the Gaekwad dynasty of the princely state of Baroda in the year 1913.

On Wednesday, the trial ride was taken by a team comprising Western Railway Additional Divisional Railway Manager Sanjay Sharma, Senior Divisional Engineer Kailash Meena, Senior Divisional Operating Manager Sanjay Neelam as well as Divisional Mechanical Engineer PU Upadhyay along with other railway officials of Valsad and Vaghai.

According to sources quoted in the report, the train would resume its service once the Covid situation gets better. They further said that the tourist coach will be added to the train only on Saturdays and Sundays.