Saklespura belt, buckle up

Hop on a Vistadome coach from Mangaluru to Yesvanthpur Junction in Bengaluru and enjoy travelling along the most picturesque green belt of Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Ghat in a swanky coach. Green Route is a railway segment along the Sakleshpura belt Karnataka, India with 57 tunnels and 109 bridges on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru Vistadome. The glass paneled large windows ensure you savour every bit of the stunning views of the Western Ghats. The peaks, the valleys, the gorges, the greenery and the whole atmosphere will take your breath away. The views from the Yedekumari bridge are not to be missed. This bridge is also etched in the mind because of its starring role in the opening scene of the Maniratnam movie “Thiruda Thiruda”. 

While Vistadome is conceptually a great idea, unfortunately for a premium train service, several details for a comfortable experience to the passenger need to be worked on - seats and their features, design of windows, etc. 

More importantly, train passengers being considerate is the top need - abrupt moving of seats, entertainment without using headphones, loud conversations, thoughtless behaviour and movements by families really make an otherwise nice ride, terrible. But this observation is true of travel by any public service. Taking a good idea and messing up in the final stages is the hallmark of so many things in India. In this case, the Railways are doing it by not planning the arrival at the final destination in a thoughtful manner. Wasting 100 minutes for no good reason on the outskirts of Bengaluru/Yeshwantpur, after a nice ride on a picturesque route is the biggest killjoy.