NF Railways announces extension of Vistadome Special up to Badarpur; Train to run every Wednesday, Saturday

Some joy for the people of Barak Valley. NF Railways finally acknowledges the long pending demand of the people of Barak Valley and more importantly, the scenic beauty that lies between Badarpur and New Haflong Railway Stations.

An order issued by TK Bhowmick, Dy COM/Chg for CPTM/NFR states that “It has been decided to extend the presently running 15888/15887 Guwahati – New Haflong Tourist Express Upto Badarpur w.e.f December 22, 2021.”

The order also states that the Railway Board approved the proposal of extension of the tourist special on September 16, 2021. Astonishingly, it did not reflect on the ground for a good three months.

The train will depart every Wednesday and Saturday from Guwahati at 6:45 am and reach Badarpur at 2:20 pm. The 341-kilometre journey will be covered in 7 hours and 35 minutes. The train will depart from Badarpur at 3:15 pm on the same day. So, the passengers travelling for tourism purposes can return to Guwahati using the same train. But, that won’t leave any seats for the tourists originating from Badarpur to reserve. Moreover, since the train will depart at 3:15 pm from Badarpur it won’t make much sense to board the train to experience scenic beauty as it will remain dark.

The Vistadome coaches which are tourist special compartments with larger windows and glass roofs were introduced in the Guwahati – New Haflong section on August 28, 2021. It was initially proposed by former Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and his proposal was to start the service between Lumding and Badarpur.