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Indian vistadome train ride whose scenic beauty saved line from closure: what it’s like

  • The NG Mix Passenger Special’s giant windows give unhindered views of line’s surroundings from forests full of birds to amazing river vistas

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A panoramic view of the Ambika river. The river provides fantastic views while riding the NG Mix Passenger Special, a slow vistadome train, through the countryside of India’s Gujarat state. Photo: Anita Rao Kashi

The railway station in Waghai, a tiny town in India’s western Gujarat state, is small and old-fashioned: whitewashed stone walls are topped by a sloping metal roof whose overhang is supported by blue rafters and wooden pillars.

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A few people mill about on the platform, while many more find their seats in one of the three smaller coaches.

It is approaching 2.30pm and the engine emits a series of piercing toots. It is my cue to get into the big coach, an improvised vistadome that, being midweek, is almost empty.

The coach has giant glass windows that provide unhindered views of its surroundings. It also has plush seats and is air conditioned; the other carriages have no air conditioning, slatted wooden seats and open windows.

The train before it leaves Waghai station. Photo: Anita Rao Kashi
The train before it leaves Waghai station. Photo: Anita Rao Kashi

A few more toots and the NG Mix Passenger Special train slowly chugs out of Waghai station, bound for Bilimora. (NG refers to “narrow gauge”, where the track width is less than a metre; India has only a handful of such lines and almost all have heritage or tourist status.)

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