With 360 degree rotatable push-back seats having abundant leg space
the goan I network
MARGAO
, rooftop windows along with wide-glassed side windows offering a panoramic view of the picturesque Konkan landscape as the train traverses the Konkan region, a huge rear glass at the fag-end of the coach for enjoying the scenery en route are some of salient features of the Vistadome coach attached to Janshatabdi express which chugged into Madgaon KR station at 5.40 pm on Monday.
A tourists' delight, the 40 passenger Vistadome coach itself is termed as an Executive Class coach by KR officials. A total of five rooftop windows with an equal number of side windows, the coach is equipped with a plush wash room at its other end.
According to DGM, KR, B G Ghatge, the coach is aimed at tourists to promote tourism. "The entire Konkan region is blessed with scenic beauty which the tourists can enjoy by boarding this Vistadome coach," Ghatge observed, while adding that the full-sized glass at the rear end of this coach enables any tourist to view the beauty of the region.
Besides the aforementioned features, the coach has LEDs, a pantry and a bio-toilet attached to the rear end of Janshatabdi Express. Ghatge thanked the Ministry of Tourism, for permitting the Konkan Railway Corporation to use this Visatdome coach on KR tracks. Incidentally, Gtahge claimed this to be the second such coach on the rails, the first one running in the Vishakapatnam area. "It is built by Integral Coach factory for the Ministry of Tourism at a cost of Rs 3.38 crore," informed Ghatge.
On its maiden run from Dadar (Mumbai) to Madgaon (Goa), the coach had 14 passengers, of which three were uprgaded from Thane. Among the first lot of celebrity travellers who boarded this train included Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fishing (Govt of Maharashtra), Mahadevrao Jamkar, who boarded the train and travelled in this coach from Thane to Chiplun, informed the Chief PR of Central Railway, Ram Pal Barpagga, who also travelled in this compartment upto Madgaon. Ghatge informed that the fare is pegged in the region of Rs 2,300 to Rs 2,500 per head on par with executive class fares in the railways.
