Glass ceilings for Kashmir trains by May

Next time when you board a train in Kashmir, you would be awestruck watching the snowcapped mountains and the rural landscapes through the glass ceilings. With an aim to woo tourists, the Indian Railways is planning to introduce glass roof-top coaches on the Kashmir rail line.

The vistadome coach, announced in June last year, has already arrived and will be introduced in May. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is introducing the see-through glass coaches in association with J&K tourism department. “The 40-seater coach would provide an enjoyable experience to passengers, officials said.

The vistadome coaches in Kashmir have been introduced after its successful run in Araku valley and Western Ghats between Mumbai and Goa. The air-conditioned coach will run enroute the 135 km rail track from Baramulla to Banihal.

The coach has large glass windows, glass roof, observation lounge and rotatable seats. The double wide-reclining seats can be rotated 360 degrees for a better panoramic view of surroundings. It also has automatic sliding doors, luggage racks, LED screens for entertainment and a GPS-enabled information system.

Apart from the glass coaches, railways have also decided introducing air-conditioned coaches to the mountain railways to attract tourists