The Vistadome coach service on the Sengottai–Punalur ghat section began on Thursday, offering passengers panoramic views of the Western Ghats while travelling on the Madurai–Guruvayur Express. The temporary service is expected to run until mid-January and is aimed at strengthening tourism and passenger access along the Kollam–Sengottai rail route.
The coach has been attached to the Madurai–Guruvayur Express following sustained demands for a Vistadome service on the route. N K Premachandran, Member of Parliament, said the coach had been allotted to a Keralam route for the first time after several years of efforts.
The Sengottai–Punalur section passes through a scenic ghat landscape along the Western Ghats. Railway passengers will be able to view the terrain through the coach’s larger windows while the train makes scheduled stops along the route. The service has been arranged with halts at as many stations as possible, according to Premachandran, so that travellers can experience the natural landscape over a longer portion of the journey.
The train will halt for five minutes each at Sengottai and Punalur, 10 minutes at Kollam and one minute at all other stations. These scheduled stops will also determine how passengers from towns along the route can access the service, rather than limiting its use to visitors travelling only between the major endpoints.
Premachandran said the objective was to ensure that local residents benefit from both the train service and the Vistadome coach. He also said the coach could help unlock the tourism potential of the Kollam–Sengottai route and attract more visitors to the region.
The introduction comes as Indian Railways has used Vistadome coaches to create a more experiential form of travel on routes with scenic landscapes. Unlike conventional coaches, the service is designed to provide wider views of the route, making the railway journey itself part of the visitor experience. On this section, the ghat terrain and Western Ghats setting are the main attractions identified for passengers.
The service has already generated strong demand. Tickets for the executive class coach were sold out for two weeks soon after reservations opened, according to the report. The initial response indicates substantial interest in scenic rail travel on the route, although the temporary operating period means that the service’s longer-term continuation has not yet been established.
The coach will remain attached to the train on a temporary basis until mid-January. Its continuation beyond that period, and the operational arrangements that may follow, will depend on the Railways’ subsequent decision. For now, the service provides a new passenger experience on the Sengottai–Punalur ghat section while bringing renewed attention to the tourism and local connectivity potential of the Kollam–Sengottai route.
