Vistadome rail car launched on Kalka-Shimla section

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, March 8

Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal today launched the vistadome rail motor car through video-conferencing for tourists on the Kalka-Shimla heritage section today.

The 12-seater rail car is the first of its kind on this section, which has a glass rooftop, an LCD, an air-conditioner and attached washroom for passengers. Fare and timetable of the rail motor car are yet to be decided by the authorities.

Goyal, while addressing people through videoconferencing, said the Railways was coming up with 100 vistadome coaches for five narrow gauges in the country. He said around 2,400 toilets would be constructed in the circulating area of the stations across the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that in August last year Piyush Goyal, along with officials of the Railway Ministry, had visited the Shimla railway station and asked officials to review to introduce hop-on, hop-off coaches to ply between the Kalka-Shimla section. He had asked the Ambala division to submit a report to the Ministry for its implementation.

Rail motor car, which is a single coach train that looks like a bus running on a railway track, will run from Kalka to Shimla and vice versa. This is the most sought-after train journey as this kind of motor car is available on this track only in the country.

On January 9 this year, Railway officials conducted a trial of the rail car. Sources said during the trial, members of the technical and mechanical staff were also on board to check the movement of the train. However, during trial runs, experts did not found any flaw in the coach and confirmed that the rail motor car was fit for introduction.