Vistadome coaches have been attached to the South-Western part of the Indian Railways to the express train running from Yesvantpur in Bengaluru to Mangalore Jn station. I had the amazing opportunity to experience the authentic Vistadome beauty.
Here, the route covers the Western Ghats, specifically the Sakleshpur- Subramanya section of the Ghat which offers eye shattering scenic views of valleys, mountains, gorges and greenery. The best time to experience this is during the monsoon which amplifies the scenic view of the route with bountiful creations of the lush nature due to the heavy downpour in the region.
My journey began at sharp 7 in the morning and honestly, I was way too excited to witness the scenic wonders that Western Ghats had in store for me as the vistadome passes through it. Each express train consists of two vistadome coaches with a seating occupancy of 44 seats each.
The seats were very comfortable and wide, which can be rotated 180 degrees alongside large windows that offered a clearer and enlarged view serving the purpose for better scenic view. Not to forget, the glass rooftops with anti- glare screens gave a beautiful view of the sky right from my seat.
It is said that this coach has been specially manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai to give tourists a delightful and comfortable experience of the beauty of this route and is actually excelling at its purpose.
Apart from that, every single vistadome coach is equipped with strict CCTV surveillance LED displays, fire safety systems, mini pantry, refrigerator, oven along with multi tier steel shelves for luggages, mobile charging sockets on every seat alongside ‘content-on-demand’ viewables by passengers.
Adding onto that, every coach is equipped with automated sliding doors, bio toilets and like in aircrafts, the seats are attached with foldable snack tables along with GPS based public address system with Braille signage to assist the visually challenged passengers.
At the far end of the coach lies a lounge-like space with a large viewing window which is spectacular to just soak in the beauty this place inculcates. With the introduction of vistadome coaches, the effort made by the government to tap into the tourism potential this place holds is truly appreciable as other than offering magnificent scenic views.
Subramanya is also world renowned for the Kukke Subramanya Temple which is why a great deal of pilgrims also travel via the Vistadome alongside nature enthusiasts like myself,as well as regular commuters.
The only drawback is that vistadome does not serve food to its passengers but between every stop vendors board the train to sell local delicacies which honestly further elevated the authenticity of my experience.
Between stations when the train stopped, especially at Sakleshpur, I was awestruck by the magnificent beauty of that place and took quite a few pictures of myself in this peaceful scenic heaven. The Vistadome traverses amidst an unparalleled scenic paradise.
As the train had changed its course, I witnessed a drastic change in backdrop from vibrant lush green terrains doused in fresh downpour that seem like they have been hand painted by the creator himself to misty covered mountains that seem like they are floating amidst the clouds .
This also results in a shift of temperature or climate outside but due to the air conditioning, the change in temperature cannot be detected. My last stoppage was Mangalore from where I had to bid farewell to my Vistadome Journey.
With its majestic views, the Vistadome experience has etched itself onto my mind forever and I truly think any travel enthusiast should at least partake once in Vistadome’s epic and magnificent experience.
