New Vistadome Him Darshan Express By The Railways To Run Between Kalka & Shimla

by Pratiksha
New Vistadome Him Darshan Express By The Railways To Run Between Kalka & Shimla

Think of this as a Christmas present, for the Railways have just started a 7 coach long Vistadome train on the heritage Shimla-Kalka route. Called Him Darshan, this new train will enable people to witness snowfall and the valley like never before. The train was inaugurated on the 25th of December and will be up and running for a year up till December 24, 2020. Decorated with red balloons, the train was a sight to behold. The train has 6 Vistadome coaches while the 7th one is a first-class cum luggage room.

Him Darshan
Image credits: We Are Himachali
Image for representation

Shimla-Kalka Gets The Him Darshan Train

The all-new Him Darshan will accommodate 15 people per Vistadome coach while the first-class coach will carry 14 passengers. What makes this train unique is that it is the only Vistadome train that will be running on a regular basis. It will run on the concept of individual seat charter services by various online modes and the Passenger Reservation System. In terms of pricing, the tickets will cost ₹630 for a single journey and will be the same regardless of age or the boarding station.

Him Darshan
Image credits: Livemint

Also Read: Indian Railways To Launch More See-Through Vistadome Coaches For Goa-Bound Trains

Even though the train has launched this Christmas, the bookings for it are already full owing to the peak tourist season. Earlier, the railways had only put a single Vistadome coach on the trains but this time around they have added it to the entire train. According to reports, the train will depart from Kalka station at 7 am and reach Shimla by 12:55 pm. On the return journey, it will depart from Shimla at 3:50 pm and reach Kalka by 9:15 pm.

Image credits: Swarajya

The new train will allow people to get panoramic views of the surroundings and will make for quite an experience. Although bookings are full, we are waiting to make our reservations because this is going to be a new way to see the beauty of Shimla. But until then, we’ll take the Vistadome train to Goa instead!