Vistadome coaches for Araku by April-end

Visakhapatnam: Vistadome coaches on passenger train to picturesque Araku Valley, a dream project, will be finally take off by end of this month. Made of special acrylic, the passengers can view the Valley through the roof and huge windows sitting on a revolving chair.

Highlights:

• First coach arriving here on April 13
• Trial run will take place to ensure mechanical perfection and later the inauguration date will be finalised, says divisional railway manager Chandralekha Mukherjee
• There will be more footfall this summer if the coaches take off by end of April, says A Srinivasa Rao, a tour operator of Dwarakanagar

“This is first ever project for India,’’ said divisional railway manager Chandralekha Mukherjee. Talking to this correspondent here on Friday, she said that the coaches were manufactured by Integral Coach Factory at Perambudur, Tamil Nadu, and the first coach will move out the factory on April 11 and arrive here on two days later on April 13. The second coach will arrive 15 days after the first coach arrival.

Trial run will take place to ensure mechanical perfection and later the inauguration date will be finalised.The coach will have a capacity for 40 passengers and attached to the Kothavalasa-Kirondol passenger train which leaves Visakhapatnam railway station every day at 7.15 am.“We have been waiting for this day.

I personally persuaded the general manager and other senior officials to expedite the project as the local people have been anxious to ride on the coaches,’’ the DRM .She said the passenger fare and launch date will be finalised after the success of the trial run. The travel operators highly excited about the arrival of the coach.

They said this will be one of the best attractions for the tourists both local and coming from outside the state.There will be more footfall this summer if the coaches take off by end of April, said A Srinivasa Rao, a tour operator of Dwarakanagar.

By KMP Patnaik