An undulating green landscape, cotton balls of cloud hugging the Eastern Ghats, 58 tunnels through towering mountains and a 360-degree view to watch the dramatic countryside change from the buzz of city life to the peaceful silence of lush hills. If you have ever taken the train journey from Vizag to Araku, you will know what an outstanding feat of engineering it is! But an uninterrupted wide-angle view of mountains and skylight windows to watch the changing landscape can be an experience that few other train journeys can match up to. The journey to Araku in the new see-through Vistadome coach on Visakhapatnam-Kirandul passenger train is all about experience: gaping out of the wide-windows at the carpet of greens, savouring every moment of the four-hour journey through 58 tunnels and over 84 bridges and while comfortably reclining in revolving chairs in the air-conditioned coach. Travelling along this engineering marvel of the Kottavalasa-Kirandul line on the Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway will leave you awestruck.
One of its kind
The specially-designed coach, first-of-its-kind in the Indian Railways, set off on its maiden journey to Araku — the quaint hill station of Andhra Pradesh – last Wednesday with a team of 40 passengers slicing through the mountains of the Eastern Ghats. The coach offers a scenic panoramic view while you are seated in comfortable, cushioned chairs with a fold-out table for your convenience. Snacks and beverages are served on board the train that can be bought (own expense). The journey is peppered with pretty scenes of verdant hill ranges, tunnels snaking through the valleys and waterfalls gushing out of the mountains. The chairs can be revolved to allow tourists to enjoy the view on either side without moving from their seat. With two large cushioned seats on each side, a central aisle, central lighting, LCD television screens and bio toilets with modern fittings – the coach has enough leg space to relax and enjoy the journey, unlike the other crammed coaches of the train. The see-through glass roof can give a particularly spectacular experience during rainy season. While on a harsh summer day, it can be turned into an opaque glass with a press of a button to shield the sun rays. The coach is also armed with a GPS-based information system, multi-tier luggage rack near the doorway and electrically operated automatic sliding doors for compartment entry. The large glass windows that are 2200 by 1250 mm wide come equipped with roller blinds. Designed and manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, this is India’s first Vistadome coach introduced to promote tourism and give the travellers an altogether different experience. The Vistadome coaches will be detached at Araku in the morning and attached again when the train returns in the evening. With its spacious seating arrangement and revolving chair, the Vistadome coach can be a great option for a family get-together to Araku if planned and booked well in advance.
Tourist spots
The train journey to Araku takes you through Shimliguda, a station perched at 997 metres above sea level, which was the first highest broad-gauge railway station in the country till the construction of Qazigund in Jammu and Kashmir. The train chugs along stations of Tyda enveloped in green forests and touches the million-year-old Borra Caves. You have the option to get off here as well and take a cab or a jeep to Araku after a visit to the caves. A must-do after you embark at Araku is a visit to the coffee museum where you can have a taste of the famous Araku coffee in different avatars.
Want to experience this spectacular one-of-its-kind train journey? Then book your tickets fast, for reports suggest that it’s a houseful till May 18.
