Kashmir is breathtaking place to visit, with landscapes reminding you of heaven. The government, in order to promote tourism will soon launch a see through train that can let tourist get a magnificient view of all the beauty.
In a few months from now, tourists will be able to travel through the Kashmir and Araku valleys, while experiencing nature’s beauty through glass ceilings and panoramic windows of the glass-ceiling luxury coaches in trains.
Staying true to Make in India policy, The coaches to be manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai.
“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.”
Srinivas says, these coaches will be first of it’s 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,” he said.
These coaches are being manufactured at an estimated cost of around Rs 4 crore.
“Work on the project started in 2015 with a series of meetings on the specification of the coach design. The first such coach is all set to roll out this month (October) itself. The coaches will be ultra luxurious with rotatable chairs to provide the passengers an aerial view through partly glass ceiling,” Dham Ghaj Prasad, IRCTC Group General Manager.
