With the Vistadome coaches receiving an overwhelming response, Central Railway (CR) authorities attached a fifth Vistadome coach (on their network) to the PuneSecunderabad-Shatabdi Express on August 10.
These coaches on CR trains have resulted in earnings of around Rs 1 crore per month and a daily average of around Rs 39,000 per trip on the Mumbai-Pune route.
This is around Rs 10,000 more than the revenue earned through air-conditioned (AC) chair car tickets and nearly three times the per trip earnings of second-class seating coaches on the same route.
On average, the per trip revenue of an AC chair car coach running on the Mumbai-Pune route is around Rs 28,000, while the per trip average revenue of the general class seating coaches is around Rs 11,000.
The Vistadome coaches were first introduced by the CR in the Mumbai-Madgaon Janshatabdi Express in 2018. The immense popularity led to their introduction in the Mumbai-Pune Deccan Express, with effect from June 26, 2021.
A third Vistadome coach was attached to the Deccan Queen from August 15, 2021, while the fourth was attached to Pragati Express on July 25, 2022.
Meanwhile, CR registered an occupancy of 31,821 passengers in the Vistadome coaches of CSMT-Madgaon, CSMT Janshatabdi Express, Pragati Express, Deccan Queen and Deccan Express, registering revenue of Rs 3.99 crore from April to July 2022.
“Whether it is the breathtaking views of the valleys, rivers and waterfalls along the Mumbai-Goa route or the spectacular views of the Western Ghats along the Mumbai-Pune route, these coaches with glass tops and wide windowpanes have proved to be a hit,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer, CR.
