New Vistadome coach arrives at Visakhapatnam railway station

The rail journey from Visakhapatnam to Araku is quite mesmerising and the best way to undertake this journey is in a Vistadome coach. With large glass windows and 360 degrees rotatable chairs, these coaches are the in-trend way to explore the Araku Valley. Waltair Railway Division, being the first to launch a Vistadome-equipped train in India, now wants to cash in further on this trend. Accordingly, a new Vistadome coach arrived at Visakhapatnam railway station on Wednesday. 

The bogie arrived with the New Delhi-Visakhapatnam AP Express at platform no. 5 at Visakhapatnam railway station. It is yet to be announced when this new Vistadome coach will be put into operation. 

Talking about the demand for Vistadome coaches, Divisional Railway Manager Anup Kumar Satpathy shared that the Waltair Division plans to employ 3 more Vistadome coaches in the coming few months, in order to meet the passenger demand. 

After the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vistadome coaches on the Visakhapatnam – Araku special train ran at about 50 – 60 percent occupancy. But in the later months, the occupancy picked up and is now close to 100 percent. With the new Vistadome coaches, the Waltair Railway Division is expecting the continuation of the same. 

First launched in April 2017, Vistadome coaches took a while to woo the people of Visakhapatnam. But since then, they have been in high demand for travel from Visakhapatnam to Araku. A typical Vistadome journey from Visakhapatnam to Araku costs about Rs. 670 while the ticket fare in the opposite direction is around Rs. 520, under the Executive Class category. Passengers travelling in these coaches get an unhindered, scenic view of the Araku Valley from an AC-ventilated bogie consisting of reclining seats.