Tourists visiting north Bengal may find yet another reason to travel to the Dooars during the upcoming Durga Puja season as the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is all set to introduce vistadome coaches from next month that will run along the Siliguri and Alipurduar route.

“We intend to introduce vistadome coaches along the Siliguri-Alipurduar Junction route that moves through the Dooars from August this year. On Friday, a meeting was held with stakeholders of the tourism industry in north Bengal where proposals were sought from them on this new service. They have come up with some suggestions which will be discussed with senior railway officials,” said an official of the NFR.

Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), proposed to launch that the new service on Independence Day.

“Initially, the railways had proposed Rs 755 as fare for the entire route (around 200 kilometres), while Rs 470 for a shorter route (from Siliguri to Malbazar),” said Sanyal.

Debasis Maitra, the president of Eastern Himalayan Travel & Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA), has welcomed the initiative.

“The railway authorities should see that people taking a ride in the vistadome coaches are provided with all necessary amenities. Also, newer options like selfie zones, halt points from where photos of the varying landscape can be clicked be explored to provide additional entertainment to tourists during travel,” he said.