Passengers thrilled as glass coach chugs on Shimla-Kalka route

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 11

It was a historic day for locals and tourists visiting the Queen of Hills as the Shimla-Kalka route on Tuesday experienced its first see-through Vistadome coach.

Passengers had a thrilling experience as the glass-roof coach facilitated 360 degrees panoramic view of the fascinating Shimla hills chugging through thick forests. Covering a distance of 96 km on the 114-year old UNESCO World Heritage track, it snaked through 800 bridges, 919 curves, 103 tunnels and 20 stations.

The 36-seater coach with 19 passengers on-board arrived here this afternoon. It was late by more than two hours as it is linked with the Kalka-Howrah train, which was behind schedule. The one-way fare of the coach has been fixed at Rs 130 for adults, Rs 75 for children and free for children below five, which is reasonable.

“It takes five-and-half hours from Kalka to Shimla and the scheduled stops of the train are Dharampur, Kumarhatti, Barog, Solan, Salogara, Kandaghat, Shoghi, Tara Devi, Jutogh and Summerhill,” said Station Superintendent Prince Sethi. “The special and aesthetically-designed Vistadome air-conditioned coach is a first-of-its-kind to run on the narrow gauge,” Sethi added. With Christmas and New Year round the corner, the hotel industry is hoping that the new attraction would boost the tourist inflow.

The ultra-modern coach, costing Rs 10-lakh, is fully air-conditioned but lacks an attached toilet, which causes inconvenience to passengers as the journey is long. “The fare is cheap and journey comfortable,” a passenger said. “It was my first toy train journey and the experience was good. The view is amazing and I will definitely recommend it to friends,” said another passenger Mohhamad, who visited Shimla for the first time.

Online booking for the coach is yet to commence and the facility will be available in the next few days, facilitating the passengers. The British laid the first rail link to connect Shimla in 1903 and the Kalka-Shimla rail track was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2009.

About Vistadome coach

The Vistadome coach, costing Rs 10 lakh, is made of glass. The roof and doors are transparent (made of 12-mm thick glass). The 36-seater coach is fully air-conditioned with wooden interiors, cushions for comfort and has steel railings. It gives 360 degrees scenic view of the track.

Speed trial

The normal speed of train on the track is 22.5 km/h permissible till 25 km/h. On Tuesday, a successful technical trial run was conducted and the engine reached from Shoghi to Shimla in 35 minutes at a speed of 35km/h. Long travel time (about five-and-half hours) is taxing, but efforts are on to increase the speed of the train from 25 km/h to 35 km/h, reducing the time by 30 minutes to one hour.