Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off a train with “vistadome coaches” between Visakhapatnam and Araku on Sunday. The specially designed coaches have glass roofs, rotatable seats, Global Positioning System and on-board entertainment facilities.
The glass domes have electronically controlled opalescence. As a result, the transparency of the roofs can be adjusted. Travellers along picturesque routes like the Vishakhapatnam-Araku stretch can enjoy the view along the journey, Prabhu added in a tweet.
The minister also shared pictures of the vistadome coaches that have special facilities for the aged and the disabled like wide side doors and automatically sliding compartment doors. The coaches are likely to be pressed into action for passengers by Thursday, The Times of India reported.
The coaches, which have an observation lounge, will be attached to the existing Vizag-Araku-Kirandul passenger train. “They will be detached at Araku in the morning and attached again when the train returns in the evening,” Waltair divisional railway manager Chandralekha Mukherjee told the English daily. “The fare of these coaches will be higher than the existing general fare.”
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