Dasara rush: 50% homestays and hotels in Kodagu, Chikkamagalur booked

The South Coast Railway (SCoR) has announced the addition of an extra Vistadome coach to the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Passenger train, also known as the Araku train, to accommodate increased demand during the Dasara festival season from October 13 to 20, 2026. The glass-domed coach will provide passengers with panoramic views of the Eastern Ghats' forests, deep valleys, and 84 tunnels, as well as the Borra Caves and Araku Valley region, which are popular tourist destinations.

The LHB-based Vistadome tourist coaches feature a glass roof with electrically controlled anti-glare screens, extra-large side windows, and 44 reclining seats that can rotate up to 180 degrees. Other amenities include automatic sliding doors, GPS-based Public Address and Passenger Information Systems, Wi-Fi entertainment, LED lighting, mini-pantries, CCTV surveillance, bio-toilets, fire detection systems, and Braille signage for visually impaired passengers.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.