The Railways on Wednesday flagged off a seven-coach glass-topped vistadome train on the heritage Kalka-Shimla route.
The red-coloured train, which was decorated with balloons, chugged off from the Kalka railway station in Haryana at around 7 am, a railway official at the Kalka station told PTI.
The ‘Him Darshan’ train has a seating capacity of over 100 passengers and bookings are full over the next few days in view of the Christmas-New Year holiday season, the official said.
Earlier this year, the Railways had put only one vistadome coach on the narrow-gauge route, but in view of the huge response, the entire train has such coaches, he said.
Along the route, one of the few heritage Railways in the word, tourists headed to Shimla will experience snow and rainfall in these glass-enclosed coaches.
Panoramic view
“It feels so nice to enjoy the nature with transparent roofs as it gives a panoramic view. We will also return in a few days. Hope we get a chance to witness snowfall while we are on this train,” a family told the media in Kalka after boarding the train.
The vistadome coaches are tastefully decorated with plush interiors and tourists will also get a chance to feel close to the nature on the 95.5-km route with large glass windows in the air-conditioned coaches.