India has always been an incredible place to tour and its picturesque landscapes are breathtaking for any traveller. In line with the Modi government’s bid to promote tourism in the country, Indian Railways’ IRCTC is taking a leaf out of Switzerland’s books. You can soon travel by train through the Kashmir and Araku valleys, enjoying nature’s beauty through glass ceilings and panoramic windows! Yes, in the coming months, Suresh Prabhu-led Indian Railways is all set to take luxury travel to a new height, by introducing glass-ceiling luxury coaches in trains.
The coaches will be manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, and are expected to start plying in the coming months. Giving details about the project, S Srinivas, the Chief Design Engineer at ICF, told FE Online, “We have received an order from IRCTC for coaches with partial glass ceilings. These coaches will be attached to regular trains and will ply on the Araku Valley route in Visakhapatnam and also in Kashmir valley. We have completed the design of the coaches and will start manufacturing them now.”
What’s special about these coaches? Srinivas says that the coaches are the first of their kind in India. “The concept is similar to the windows of a Dreamliner. Not only will the coaches sport big windows to offer a panoramic view, but will also have partial glass roofs, that are special because they can be made transparent and opaque based on the hour of the day. This will be done electrically, if it is too sunny, the glass can be turned opaque as well,” he explained. And, glass ceilings are not the only special feature about these coaches! “The seats in the coaches will be premium and comfortable, offering more leg room. There will be just 40 seats in every coach to give passengers a luxurious feel. There will also be the facility of infotainment on board. The toilets will also be plush and modular with premium quality materials being used,” reveals Srinivas.
IRCTC is reported to have said that each coach will be built at a cost of Rs 4 crore. “The coaches will be ultra luxurious with rotatable chairs to provide the passengers an aerial view through the glass ceiling, IRCTC has said recently. IRCTC has been introducing new tours and packages to promote tourism across the country. One such initiative that deserves mention is the Tiger Express. The semi-luxury train takes guests onboard to the famous Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks in Madhya Pradesh. On these lines, there are also plans to roll out a ‘Kaziranga Express’ for Assam.
IRCTC to introduce glass ceiling coaches in Kashmir and Araku valley
