What to look out for...

Konkan Railway territory begins shortly after Roha station on Central Railway. Roha station is under Central railway. The jurisdiction of KR begins at chainage 0/800. Roha station is located at 0/000 (KR marker), and 143/6 (CR Marker). The Konkan railway "welcome" boards are located on the right side of the track (while traveling from Roha towards Madgaon). Most trains stop briefly at Kolad station for installation of ACD equipment on Guard Vans. Some SR trains, and all KR trains have the ACD equipment fitted on the Guard vans.

The first halt on KR for most trains is at Mangaon. Chiplun is the first major station on KR. First crew change on KR occurs at Ratnagiri. All trains coming from CR are worked by CR pilots upto Ratnagiri, and there on by KR crew. For passenger trains, KR crew take charge of the trains at ROHA itself. Chiplun station has facility for re-watering, and many trains are re-watered at this station. Loco re-fueling facilities exist at Chiplun, Madgaon and Kankanadi (SR).

Chiplun station has 3 platforms (none on the main line). Platform 1 of Chiplun station is located on the left hand side (for trains traveling from Roha towards Madgaon). Platform 2 and 3 are located on an Island. The National Highway (NH 17 from Mumbai to Ernakulam) runs parallel to the railway track at some sections. The next major station after Chiplun is Ratnagiri. Ratnagiri has 3 platforms, in a layout very similar to Chiplun

The tracks takes a sharp left train after Ratnagiri (towards Madgaon), and this is one curve when one can see all coaches of the train from the last to the first! The station immediately next to Ratnagiri is Nivasar, about 15 kms away. In this 15 kilometres of run, the train rushes through 5 viaducts and 3 tunnels! The third viaduct from Ratnagiri is "Panval Viaduct". This holds the current record for the highest viaduct. It is a scary sight from the train, as the ravine below is pretty deep! The run from Nivasar to Thivim is pretty normal.

Thivim station is located on a curve. Thivim station has a very peculiar platform. Platform 2 has the main line, and Platform 1 is on the loop line. Platform 1 is located on the right side (towards Madgaon, from ROHA) of the main line. Platform 1 has the ticket counter, waiting room, etc. Platform 2 is an island platform. Karmali, the station immediately after Thivim, is another interesting sight. The station is located on land reclaimed from a pond. The pond is a part of a wildlife sanctuary. The pond boasts of various species of migratory birds! The station immediately after Karmali is Verna. Verna station has a big freight yard, and is a good location to spot triple WDG3A headed freight trains. Verna also has a "Diesel Loco Shed". This shed does NOT hold any diesel locos, but is used as a point to do repairs in emergencies!

The section from Majorda to Madgaon is doubled. The old SWR line from Vasco-Da-Gama to Londa runs parallel to the KR line, and is now used as a double line. Majorda, Surawali and Madgaon stations are manned by KR staff. Madgaon station has three platforms. Platform 1 is used for most major arrivals/departures, while passenger trains are usually handled on Platform 2 or 3. Platform 2 and 3 form an island. Madgaon is a crew change point for most KR trains. The section crosses into Karnataka state near Karwar. The KR territory officially ends just after Thokur station, at chainage 739/7. Freight locos can be spotted on the left side of the track (traveling from Madgaon to Kankanadi) shortly after Thokur. There is one tunnel between Thokur and Kankanadi, and the section is thickly covered by trees. The Hassan-Mangalore railway lines join the SR line somewhere just before Kankanadi station. Kankanadi station has a good number of freight trains at most of the times!

Technical halts on KR ...

A fair Idea about crew changes were provided in the section above. Crew change points on KR are at Roha (CR), Ratnagiri, Verna, Madgaon and Kankanadi (SR). For Express/Rajdhani/Jan Shatabdi trains, CR crew work the train all the way upto Ratnagiri. At Ratnagiri, KR crew take charge. They work upto Madgaon (except for Rajdhani express, crew on this train work upto Kankanadi), where they hand over their duty to another set who would work till Kankanadi (Mangalore in case of Matsyagandha Express). Trains are worked by SR crew from Kankanadi onwards.

Trains stopping at Chiplun are watered at this station. Other trains are watered at Ratnagiri. Some trains are watered at Madgaon also. Watering means the overhead water tanks in passenger coaches are refilled. Re-fueling of locos takes place at Chiplun (only for some trains) and Madgaon. Trains which are not refueled at Chiplun are refueled at Panvel (CR). Unfortunately, there are no "Clean Train Stations" on KR, and hence toilets are not cleaned any where through the journey (except in case the train has its own cleaning staff!).

Catering facilities on KR ...

The catering facilities on KR is poor. Most stations however have tea stalls, which serves light snacks also. Not much variety of food is available on KR. Madgaon is probably the only station on KR having a restaurant. (According to some people, the quality of food at this restaurant is poor). It is recommended that you travel in a train having a pantry, or arrange for a back up stock of food so that you don't go hungry during the journey! Unofficial vendors however keep on hawking their wares on trains, and because of this you might not go hungry!

Photography on KR ...

Konkan Railway follows all rules which are generally applicable to Indian Railways. As a general rule, photography is prohibited. Railway staff are usually friendly, and generally do not object to photography except in circumstances where their safety is jeopardised. For photographers, KR offers a lot of scenery, sharp curves, tunnels in quick successions, long bridges and lots more! For train spotters, the fact that KR is a single line is a blessing in disguise. Except in case of Rajdhani Express or Jan Shatabdi, most other trains have to stop for crossings. There is a good mix of locos in KR, and one can spot most types of Diesel locos on KR! WDM2, WDM3A and WDG3A are the most commonly spotted locos on KR. WDP4 makes daily visits with two trains, while WDP3A makes a biweekly visit to KR.

Which train?

Which train is the best to explore KR in whole...Trivandrum Rajdhani is the best train to explore KR in whole. The Trivandrum bound Rajdhani express (2432) crosses into KR at around 0645-0700. The train would make a brief halt at Kolad for installation of ACD equipment in the Guard Van (this would serve as a signal that the train reached KR!). The train exits from KR at around 1700. The Nizamuddin bound Rajdhani Express (2431) enters KR shortly after 0630, and exits KR at around 1630. This, however, holds true only for the non-monsoon schedule! Another good option is to explore KR in two halves. Take the KR5 Diva-Sawantwadi passenger in the morning from Mumbai. This train continues its journey further from Sawantwadi as KR7 Madgaon Passenger. This passenger reaches Madgaon by 1910. Take the KR1 passenger from Madgaon the next noon, and you would reach Mangalore by night. This connection gives better glimpse of KR when taken on the opposite direction!

Take KR2 from Mangalore (departs at 0650) and arrives Madgaon by 1300. You can spot a good number of Gooty locos at Madgaon, and the layover is worth. Take the KR8 passenger the next morning from Madgaon (Departs at 0715), and the train reaches Sawantwadi at 0845. The train immediately continues towards Mumbai (at 0850) as KR6 Diva Passenger. The train would exit from KR at 1730. Reservation facility is available on KR1/2 and KR5/6 for this journey. One better option other than taking KR8/6 combination from Madgaon is to take the 0104 Mandovi Express.

Which Season?

This would rather be a very interesting question. The section looks beautiful during the monsoons. During Monsoons, KR experiences many landslides, and hence train services are often goes hay-wire. Many passengers avoind traveling on KR during monsoons for the fear of being held up. Summer is best avoided. Trains are heavily crowded, and the temperature often goes in the range of 35-45 degrees (Celsius). The high humidty (since the region is not far from the coast) makes matters worst. Winter is a good option, but light fails after 1800 and photography could become a problem! The best season would be the period from October 1 to December 15. The trains would be too crowded during the last weeks of December owing to Christmas & New year tourism.