Railway Proposes Tourist Train To Explore Kochi's Backwaters

Kerala is ready to stump you once more. It won&rsquot be long before tourists get to enjoy the beauty of Kochi backwaters while passing through what is to be the longest railway bridge in the country. The Indian Railway has proposed on planning to start a tourist train connecting Edapally to the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal by the Vembanad Bridge &ndash said to be 4.62 KMs long. Railway officials, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Cochin Port Trust are locked in talks over the viability of the project.

Get a full-fledged aesthetically satisfying experience. Eyeing latest Vistadome coaches for the 163-year old steam heritage engines, the coaches are in service at the Arakku Valley in Andhra Pradesh and on the Konkan stretch. The stylish coaches have rotatable seats and will carry upto 40 passengers. The journey will offer several breathtaking views of the Kochi backwaters adorned with Chinese fishing nets and mangroves.

On either side of the bridge, passengers can keep an eye out for small islands glimmering with energy and radiating tranquility. A fee of INR 600 is what foreign tourists will be required to pay if they wish to observe the gorgeous Kochi backwaters.

The construction of the bridge was completed earlier this decade in 2011 having taken 27 months to complete. Tourism authorities are optimistic about including the rail journey on the current Kochi tour package.