Pune to Mumbai Vistadome Deccan Express | Pune Travel Blog | Train timetable

Indian Railways recently launched the Vistadome Coach in the iconic Pune-Mumbai train - Deccan Express. Since I had to go to Mumbai for the weekend, I decided to take the train and experience something new, and it was totally worth it. I travelled in a train after a few years and if train journeys could be like this, I think I might start traveling in trains all the time :)

Travel in Vistadome Coach - Deccan Express

Here's a video I made of this journey and I hope you enjoy it!

 

The Journey in Vistadome

The Deccan express is a seater train and has both AC and non-AC coaches but there’s only one Vistadome coach. The coach is often touted to give 360 degree views but I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It has huge windows and sky lights, and the and that does make the experience quite immersive. Deccan Express special will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at seven in the morning daily and reach Pune at 11.05 am, same day. On the return leg, the 01008 Deccan Express special will leave Pune at 3.15 pm daily and arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 7.05 pm same day.

The train stops at a few stations only which include Shivaji Nagar, Khadki, Talegaon, Lonavala, Neral, Kalyan, Thane and Dadar. You can get down at any of these and get chai or vada-pav like we did. 

For this journey, I travelled from Pune - the cultural capital of Maharashtra to Mumbai - the financial capital of India. We still have Covid restrictions here and the Pune station was practically empty both outside and inside - I was taking a train from here after years and an empty station like this was quite a shock. The station now also has an escalator which makes the journey much smoother between platforms. Like many others, I had reached the station before time so took a seat and waited patiently for the train doors to open.

The four hour journey was truly amazing, and that's probably the reason why most people travel in this train. Especially during monsoon, this route truly comes alive. I was not disappointed even one bit during this trip (despite the fact that the engine blocked the main window). You can watch the video to see the stunning views from the train. 

Vistadome does make a significant difference in how we see the world outside from a train journey in India. I remember traveling in a similar train a few years back in Switzerland and I am so happy that we have these coaches in India as well now. There are a few more train routes where this dome has been introduced and I can't wait to explore a few more of these.

How to book Vistadome ticket?

Well, this part is a bit tricky as the Indian Railways website doesn't actually use the term Vistadome anywhere. So this is what you need to do - select the 'Exec AC chair car' while booking the ticket as the IRCTC. This is the most expensive ticket option (about Rs 870 for this journey) and even after you book, it won't say you will be traveling in Vistadome. In fact, it was only when I reached the station and matched the coach number, I was happily relieved that I was indeed booked in Vistadome. Book your tickets here. The train timetable is there itself.

Pro tip for photographers

When you travel from Pune to Mumbai, this is the first coach in the train which means that the engine is right in front of you and will block the view from the largest window of the coach. It's quite tragic and so if you really want to see the ghats in their full glory, take the train from Mumbai to Pune instead.