Konkan Railway – Our Railroad by the Coast

For extending the system to the south from Bombay, the early pioneers of Railway construction considered it more expedient to climb the Lonavla ghats from Bombay and reach Pune first than to go in for a direct link along the West Coast. There were two compulsions behind this choice. One was to connect the Bombay Port with its hinterland so that rich minerals & raw materials could be brought from the interior for shipment. The other was the daunting engineering challenges presented by the route along the west coast towards South, particularly in fording the innumerable creeks and rivers and in scaling the many formidable hill ranges reaching out to the sea from the Western Ghats.

Therefore, while the Broad Gauge line from south reached Mangalore by the year 1907, the more direct coastal route of about 1000 kilometres between Bombay and Mangalore remained unbridged for a long time on the Railway map. A feeble attempt was made to extend the Railway line from the Bombay end in slow stages. Firstly from Diva to Panvel (October 1964). Then from Panvel to Apta (April 1966). And finally from Apta to Roha (March 1986), but the length between Roha and Mangalore remained only as a subject of a number of surveys and studies all these years.

The construction of the 760 km long Broad Gauge Konkan Railway heralds the fulfillment of a long cherished dream of millions of people of the Konkan region. Its completion will usher in an era of rapid social change and economic advancement of the entire region. It will also serve as an alternative North-South route to the Grand Trunk route.

The potential impact of the Konkan Railway on the economy of India’s west coast is, by now, well known. The region is rich in minerals like iron ore, bauxite, chromite and silica sand, indicating excellent opportunities in both ferrous and non-ferrous metals industries.

Forest and marine products abound. Some of India’s most prized varieties of mangoes come from here. As do other fruits like coconut and cashew, pointing to rich rewards for plantation and horticulture projects. And the region’s scenic hills and its many beaches could make it a new frontier for tourism in India.

Despite this potential, the region has stagnated for one single reason-lack of an effective, economical transport infrastructure. And the Konkan Railway is the key to awakening this vast economic potential.

The Konkan Railway will, of course, mean access to markets for the new industries, plantation projects and other ventures that are springing up along the railway’s route. But it will mean far more than that.

For one thing, distances between far-flung locations will be dramatically reduced, as will travel time.

For another, the Konkan railway Corporation plans to offer sophisticated services like the internationally used Rool-on Roll-off transport facility for cargo. With this, fully laden trucks will drive on to a train at say, Mumbai or Patalganga, and then drive off it a few hours later in Goa, Mangalore or Kochi.

Thus goods will not only move faster, they will do so with the consumption of less diesel fuel and, at the same time, will ease pressure on the already overloaded National Highway 17.

The ecology and scenic beauty of the region traversed by the Konkan Railway will make the journey along this route a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the passengers. The opening of traffic to areas never traversed earlier offer possibilities for development of new tourist routes to places not explored hitherto. The shortened time span and the easy accessibility to inland scenic spots or to beach fronts along the picturesque coastline should offer opportunities for travel not contemplated earlier and contribute to a booming tourist trade.

The Konkan railway heralds the new frontiers of tourism and will have the first ever fully privately owned luxury tourist train between Mumbai and Madgoa. The operators of the train—the Patil group have collaborated with the famed Wagon-lits company of France who have designed the Orient Express and other exotic journeys in the continent—Eurostar, Pullman etc. The train’s unique features are:-

Rake composition Deluxe (Business) Class Coaches: 04

Tourist (Economy) Class Coaches: 09

Business Centre/Lounge Car: 01

Bar Cum Restaurant Car: 01

Power Cars: 02

Number of passengers

120 in Business and 400 in Economy Proposed schedule

Dep: Mumbai CST 0600 hrs.

Arr: Madgoa (Goa) 1300 hrs.

Dep: Madgoa 1500 hrs.

Arr: Mumbai 2200 hrs.

6 Days a Week, 45 Weeks a year.

While this symbol of luxury natvigates its way through the hills and valleys, you would have embarked on a journey of discovery where the luxury of the train is as inviting as the scenic tranquility of the Konkan. Enveloped in luxuriantly upholstered seats, you can see the Konkan range rolling towards the horizon, or just take in the sweeping coastline. This train has been planned to not only take care of creature comforts but also soothe the soul. Inspired by the unparalleled beauty of the Konkan, it is a tribute to nature and a new frontier in train travel. Welcome Aboard!