The Vistadome coach introduced on Southern Railway’s Madurai–Guruvayur Express has recorded strong early demand, with bookings reaching the waitlist for several journeys over the coming weekend. The service is the railway zone’s first Vistadome coach and has been scheduled to operate four days a week in each direction.
The coach runs from Madurai to Guruvayur on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In the reverse direction, from Guruvayur to Madurai, it operates on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The service covers the Madurai–Kollam section, including the ghat route whose forested landscape can be viewed during the daytime journey.
Reservations for travel from Kollam and Madurai have filled quickly. On the Madurai–Kollam route, bookings were on the waitlist for the current week and the following weekend. In the Kollam–Madurai direction, the coach was full for the current week, while seats for the next weekend were filling rapidly.
The Vistadome executive coach has wider windows and a glass roof, allowing passengers to view the surrounding landscape during the journey. Its operating schedule has been aligned with the daytime passage through the ghat section, unlike several other trains on the route that pass through the area at night or in the early morning.
Many passengers booked tickets soon after reservations opened on Sunday. T Frankie, a rail enthusiast, said he was unable to obtain a ticket for the first-day service on October 21 and planned to book for a later date. The initial service date and the early booking response have made the coach a prominent addition to the regional rail timetable.
Passenger groups had been seeking a Vistadome service on the route after the line was certified as fit for running Linke Hofmann Busch coaches following a trial. Dipu Ravi of the Kollam-Sengottai Railway Passengers Association said the daytime Madurai–Kollam service was suitable for a Vistadome coach because it was the only train covering the ghat section during the day.
The demand has also renewed discussion about other possible sightseeing services in southern Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Kanyakumari District Rail Passengers Association has again urged Southern Railway to consider a circular train service with Vistadome coaches on the Tirunelveli–Sengottai–Punalur–Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil–Tirunelveli route.
Passenger groups have also pointed to the Chennai Egmore–Kollam Express as a train that previously had suitable timings for the route. Its schedule was changed, with departure from Kollam at 4pm and arrival in Chennai at 6am, instead of the earlier 3am departure from Kollam. The current Vistadome service remains limited to the specified four days in each direction.
