Indian Railways is following the lead of Swiss Railways and other operators offering train services on scenic routes with glass roofs to attract more tourists.
The state run Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said the first rolling stock with the transparent roofs will be delivered before the end of the year.
"Three such coaches will roll out in December this year. The first coach will be tagged in a regular train in the Kashmir Valley while the other two will be part of some train careening through the picturesque Araku Valley on the South-Eastern Railway," IRCTC chairman and managing director Dr A K Manocha said.
"The basic objective behind such a project is to promote tourism and woo upscale tourists from both India and abroad. There are some trains with glass ceilings in foreign countries, like Switzerland, which enjoy the patronage of tourists. We believe such coaches would also give a fillip to rail tourism in India," he added.
The new carriages are being built at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur.
"The coaches will be ultra luxurious with rotatable chairs to provide the passengers an aerial view through the partly glass ceiling," said Dham Ghaj Prasad, group general manager of infrastructure at IRCTC.
High tech infotainment systems will also be installed, Prasad said.
