The Southern Railways introduced two vistadome coaches between Yeshwantpur and Mangalore Junction. There are two tri-weekly and one weekly daily express trains. The services were opened on July 11 with train number 06540. The train has 44 executive class seats in each coach. The maiden run witnessed about 74 passengers utilizing the service.The route to Mangaluru from Yeswantpur (413Km) costs Rs 1,470. The train with Vistadome will leave every Sunday at 9.15 am from Mangaluru Junction and reach Yashwantpur of Bengaluru at 8.05 pm. On weekdays it will start at 11.30 am and reach Yeshawantpur at 8.20 pm. It leaves from Yashawantpur every day at 7 am and reaches Mangaluru Junction at 5 pm.
July 14,17, and 18 experienced filled coaches with 6 and 1 on the waiting list respectively. The coaches were fully booked on July 26, July 29 and July 31. The chief public relations officer of the Southern Railways told the media that although many travel from end to end, there are passengers who board from Hassan to Mangalore as well.
The coaches are attached to day train services from Bengaluru and Mangaluru in order to promote tourism on the South Western Railways. The coaches have been receiving overwhelming responses from the travellers.
The coaches are well equipped with reclining chairs that rotate up to 180 degrees and the cabs hence provide an unhindered view through wide windows. The large windowpane provides a complete view of the outside beauty. This view gets obstructed when the train reaches the Mangalore-Yeshwantpur route as the banking loco is attached at the rear of the rake to push the train through the ghats.
The trains were meant to be introduced in the month of April, but due to the COVID crisis, the work was curbed as people wouldn’t travel due to health concerns.
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