Visakhaptanam: patronage for Vistadome coach on Koraput-Rayagada line yet to pick up

There is a danger of this coach being allotted to some other zone in the country, if it fails to get adequate patronage from tourists, says Divisional Railway Manager

At a time when the Vistadome coaches on the Visakhapatnam – Araku train are being overbooked and many tourists are giving up, after failing to get advance reservation, the lone Vistadome coach of the Koraput – Rayagada Passenger train, which offers equally breathtaking views, is failing to attract their attention.

The reasons are not hard to find. The 167-km Koraput-Rayagada(KR) line was opened in 1995, while the 448-km Kottavalasa-Kirandul(KK) line was opened in 1966, and Araku and Borra Caves have become popular tourist destinations much before the opening of the KR line.

A team of media persons, who went on the media tour, organised by Waltair Division of East Coast Railway (E Co R) for the first time in nearly two decades, to Lakshmipur, on the KR line on Saturday, were in for a shock when only six persons had booked their tickets for travel by the Vistadome coach of the 08546 Visakhapatnam – Koraput passenger train on that day.

This Vistadome coach was originally introduced on the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul train about six years ago, for the benefit of tourists visiting Araku. After the 08551 Visakhapatnam – Kirandul train was allotted new LHB Vistadome coaches, the old ICF Vistadome coach is being attached to the 08546 Visakhapatnam-Koraput tri-weekly passenger, on an experimental basis, five months ago, to attract tourists. However, the patronage for this coach is yet to pick up.

Koraput is located at 6,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL). There are 36 tunnels, including the 1,600-metre tunnel, which is said to be the longest tunnel in the eastern region. Lack of food and accommodation at the places of interest on the KR line and also the high ticket fare on the tourist coach, seem to be putting off passengers.

The mainstay for this route is the revenue earned through the movement of freight from NALCO (Damanjodi) to Visakhapatnam Port, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Sunabeda), Utkal Alumina (Tikri), JK Paper Mills and Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA).

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who hails from Odisha State, during his tour of the KR line in 2021, was optimistic that the virgin valleys and hills could help in the promotion of tourism in a big way. He wanted the hastening of the doubling works, which were taken up long ago, on this route.