T’puram: The Vistadome coach will begin its first service attached to Madurai–Guruvayur Express from Thursday. The coach has been attached for people to enjoy the picturesque Sengottai-Punalur ghat section of the route along the Western Ghats.MP N K Premachandran said the coach had been allotted to a Keralam route for the first time following persistent demands over several years. The train will halt for five minutes each at Sengottai and Punalur, 10 minutes at Kollam, and one minute at all other stations.Premachandran said that it is satisfying that the long-standing and continuous efforts demanding a train service with a Vistadome coach on the Kollam–Sengottai route, ever since the country’s first Vistadome coach service began, have finally borne fruit.The train service on the Sengottai–Kollam route has been scheduled with stops at as many stations as possible so that travellers can enjoy the natural beauty along the way, he added.The key objective is to ensure that locals also benefit from both the train service and the Vistadome coach.“The Vistadome coach will also help unlock the tourism potential of the scenic Kollam–Sengottai route and attract more visitors to the region,” he added.The railways will operate the coach on the train till mid-Jan on a temporary basis.Vistadome has already become popular as the tickets got sold out for two weeks soon after reservations opened for the executive class coach.
