Welcome to Railway Junction

At the end of a long month waiting and looking at Konkan Railway's press releases every day, August 19 th arrived soon. It was just a week before that Netravati express had reinstated to its route via Konkan railway. At about 1130 hours we (My Dad, Mom and myself) decided to leave our home, towards Panvel to board the Trivandrum bound 6345 Netravati Express on our journey to Trichur in Southern Kerala (erstwhile state of Travancore-Kochi). I slowly drove my car through the state highway that connects Sion (in Mumbai) to Panvel and further to NH-4 towards Pune and NH-17 to Goa . The road is in such a bad shape that my poor car couldn't exceed 60 kmph anywhere. My brother was just arriving from Pune by road, and we picked him from a pre-decided point on the highway. We finally pulled into Panvel at about 1220. I rushed to check the Coach status and found that our coach AS3 was the 18 th from the loco. The station, unusually, was not at all busy. There were very few Container rakes. It seems that the container traffic is yet to resume to its earlier frequency. There were just two Container rakes and one Tanker rake. At about 1240, the PA system came alive and a male voice announced that Netravati is arriving today on Platform 1. Usually this train arrives on Platform 3. We slowly tugged our luggage and had a brisk walk towards the rear of the platform. At about 1306, an unmarked WDM2a #18561 in traditional Erode livery pulled into the platform. The WDM2a was heading a 21-coach load which includes 4 AC coaches! The train departed close to 1320 hours. As we pulled out of the station, the yard had two Container rakes; one headed by WAG7 #27690 from Jhansi and the other by WAG5 #23211 from Ludhiana . The yard also had a Tanker rake headed by Twin Kalyan WDM2s.

As the train pulled out of the station and joined the mainline to Roha, the area was stinking due to the rotting grains and other food materials dumped on either side on the track. All these are remains of the recent deluge. I could see the banks of most rivers had collapsed and one could see most low-lying areas are still inundated and are now looking like a vast water-body. The WDM2a found the 21-coach load vary light and was accelerating at a good pace. The loco was a poor smoker and quickly gained speed. Soon we met with a Danger signal and we came to a screeching halt. We had a brief halt with about 3 coaches above a RUB built above the National Highway to Goa . Soon, the train started moving and we approached a small station called Somatne. Here the Dadar-bound KR-4 passenger was waiting with Kalyan WDM-2 #18354 at its helm. After Somatne, we had a non-stop run until Pen. At Pen, the sight of a railway track half twisted and lying without any earth beneath it welcomed me. Railway workers were trying to restore this railway line, using an earthmover. Our train was put to the Platform-Loop line, since a Plasser machine was occupying the main line. We crawled through the platform line before we joined the main line. We quickly regained speed. As we entered Kasu station, we overtook a Construction special departmental train headed by WDG3a #14791 from New Katni Junction. Just as we crossed the station, the train slowed down to a pathetic speed. A temporary speed restriction had been imposed. A triangular yellow-coloured metal (Tin) board with a new Maximum permissible speed of “10” (Ten) stared at the loco pilot. The loco slowed down soon and we were entering a bridge. There were many railway workers standing on either side on the bridge, and that made me very anxious. As we entered the bridge, a fact shocked me: The Bridge had been washed away in the recent deluge and our train was now running over a temporary bridge. It was really shocking at that sight.

We finally pulled into Roha station at about 1516 hours, with a delay of 34 minutes. The Central railway hands over the train to Konkan Railway at this station. KRCL staff takes over the train and this crew works this train probably until Ratnagiri. From here, a set of four neatly dressed Konkan railway staff (Loco pilot, Assistant Loco pilot, Guard and Assistant Guard) took over the duty from their relatively poorly dressed counterparts in Central railway. The train, with its new commandants, finally pulled out of Roha at 1521, with a delay of 36 minutes. The station yard had the rake of the Diva passenger, a rake of BOXC wagons and some spare coaches (GSDMU) of the Diva passenger. The First chainage markers of Konkan railway begin in the Yard of Roha Station. The jurisdiction of Central Railway's Mumbai CST division extends to about 800 metres down south of Roha station, the chainage markers there indicate “144/4” and there is a speed restriction of 50 kmph on the approach to the station. The chainage markers at the board which indicates begin of KRCL territory reads “0/8”. As we enter KRCL, the sight of “self stabilizing track” welcomed me. This is an innovation of KRCL and that involves the ballast of the track being covered using metal nets and this in turn prevents the ballast from getting dislocated in case of a train running at high speeds over it and hence the ride over such tracks are very smooth. The train kept going at high speeds until Mangaon. A speed restriction of “50” kmph has been imposed just at the outskirts of the station since a recent landslide cause the debris to spill on to the tracks. The entire stretch on KRCL from Verna to Roha is patrolled by KRCL staff to prevent any mishaps due to landslides or breaches since the monsoon activity is very high in the region. We crossed the Diva bound KR6 passenger at Karanjadi. We pulled into Diwan Khavati at about 1657. This was an unscheduled halt. As we came to a halt, a Plasser equipment which was stabled on the main line was given a proceed signal. There were no signs of movement anytime then and most passengers got restless and they spilled onto to the platform. Some time later, a KRCL khalasi walked through the main line and he stepped onto a signaling post erected on the side on the main line. It started raining then and the poor fellow held an umbrella tight in his hands and held his green flag out. That was the reason…A train was approaching us. Some time later, a Krishnarajapuram based WDM3a #14056 pulled in with her rake, 0104 Mandovi Express to Mumbai CST. We crossed the Jan Shatabdhi express at Khed. This crossing was full of surprises: One the prestigious JS was waiting for us and two: she was hauled by a loco based at Krishnarajapuram! We pulled out after the crossing at about 1728 hrs, making the total halt time to 31 minutes. We finally pulled into Chiplun, a scheduled halt, at 1825, with a delay of 50 minutes. The water tanks were filled here. We left the station at 1835 hrs. The run from Chiplun to Ratnagiri was simply smooth and non-stop. We managed to pull into the station at 2010 hours. Here the loco pilots changed again. We left the station at 2015 hrs. The dinner was served shortly after this station. I had opted for Chapatti and Veg. Curry. I finished by dinner and went to bed by 2100 hrs itself.

I had a Middle berth and the AC was running at very poor temperatures that most passengers opted to switch on the fans. The sleep was uncomfortable and disturbed. I kept waking up at 0100, 0300 and finally at 0500. Got down from my berth and decided to have some fresh air. As I walked to the doors, I noticed that we were at a station and that was Kundapura. The time was 0510. The schedule time here is 0438. My god! We are still delayed by 32 minutes. We left the station by 0512. I decided to finish my morning chores and came back to the door. The doors and the entire corridor were deserted, with not a single soul anywhere nearby. The coach assistant was having a deep sleep on his berth at the next coach. The train by now pulled into Udupi. The time was 0540. The station was too short for a 21-Coacher. Our coach (which was the 18 th ) just made into the station. The rear door of our coach was still out of the platform. But there were many passengers waiting for the train and they barged into the General compartments trailing way behind the platform. The loco gave a long whistle which was audible even 18 coaches away and the poor loco started up. The loco gave out ALCO tunes and pulled away. A perfect full moon was accompanying me along through deserted fields that run along the tracks. Some time later, at about 0625, we pulled into Surathkal, which is the last stop on KRCL. The sun slowly started showing his face out. The ramps for loading trucks onto Roll On-Roll Off rakes were clearly visible as we left Surathkal. The train quickly picked up speed and we crossed Thokur soon.

We left KRCL exactly at 0636. The section from Thokur to Kankanadi is a semi-forest sort of area. This section is currently under Southern Railway's Palghat division. The area was covered in thick fog and the visibility was affected and the train slowed down. The line from Subrahmanya Road joins the main line from Thokur just before Kankanadi station. This line will connect Mangalore directly with Bangalore via Mysore and Hassan. Surprisingly, this railway line is under South Western Railway's Mysore division. As we entered Kankanadi at around 0655, the rake of Mangalore-Kabakaputtur passenger was seen waiting for us. The loco was an Erode WDM2. The rake was just 3-coaches in length, and all coaches housed by SR. Soon later, the rake of KR2 Mangalore-Madgaon passenger pulled in with Erode's WDM2 #18209. The water tanks were filled again, and we finally left at close to 0715, after an elongated halt of 20 minutes. As we pulled out of the station, a Golden Rock WDM2 #18329 was spotted at the helm of a long TPGLR (LPG tanker) rake. As my coach was crossing the Starter signal, the GOC loco started her pre-haul tests. Her twin-beam halogen headlamps and flashers came alive. It was a sight to behold- A sharp light piercing thick fog!

The SR PGT division loco pilots who took up charge from Kankanadi required some time to settle, all this while the train crawled towards Kerala. The lines to Mangalore branch off from the main line immediately after the station. The line from Mangalore towards Shoranur joins after good 1-2 kilometres. There were signs of beginning of doubling work in the Kankanadi-Netravati bridge section. The line from Mangalore joins the main line just before Netravati Cabin-B. The biggest bottle-neck in the current SR parlance; the Netravati bridge was approached. The train as it started ‘crawling' over the bridge, I got a thought: Netravati express crawling over Netravati Bridge with Netravati River flowing beneath … As we crossed Netravati Cabin-B, an Erode WDM3d #11108, travelling light, was seen waiting for us to clear the section. Soon after this bridge, we entered a fully-Double lined section. The train quickly picked up speed. The train crossed Uppala, a station which marks the Kerala-Karnataka border. The station has its names have been written in Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English. Soon after this station, we crossed the Mangalore bound Charvattur (Cheruvathur in local language)-Mangalore passenger which was hauled by a WDM2 from Erode. Wow! That was my first crossing in this newly doubled territory. We finally pulled into Kasaragode (KGQ- The first halt in the state of Kerala, and a pre-cursor of many halts!) at about 0810 with a delay of close to 20 minutes. After Kasaragode, the section again becomes a single lined section due to delay is completion of a few bridges and culverts in the section. The single section runs on until Kanhangad, which is a regular halt. We reached this station by about 0835. After Kanhangad, we picked up speed quickly and the train was quickly catching speeds close to 70 kilometers. As we pulled into Nileshwar (NLE- Nileshwaram in local language), where we do not stop, the Mangalore bound Canannore-Mangalore passenger was seen pulling out of this station behind WDM2 #18413 from Ernakulam. This train has a usual GOC link. We finally pulled into Charvattur at 0855. The pilot seems to be a very experienced person: He pulls into each station at a very high speed and later on brakes hard. The train stops perfectly and the earmarked position!!!

The run from here-on until Kannapuram was very uneventful and non-documented. After Kannapuram, we maintained heavy speeds until a very good distance. Sometime later, we slowed down and started coasting along. We crossed a level cross at a very slow speed. Shortly after this, I saw a maroon liveried loco rush towards us on the adjacent line. Guess what: It was Moula Ali WDM2 #17445 hauling an empty rake of BOXC wagons. Shortly after the crossing, the train approached a single lined bridge and kept crawling until we reached Pappinisseri station. We did not stop here, but crawled through the station. We reached Canannore at 0958. The station welcomed me with an Alco fest. Our train pulled into Platform 3. Platform 1 had the rake of 6527 Yeshwantpur-Canannore Weekly express still coupled to her loco, a Krishnarajapuram WDM3a (#17961). Platform 2 had the rake of 6347 Trivandrum-Canannore Express with her loco, an Ernakulam WDM2a (#16857). The siding adjacent to Platform 3 had a light loco from Erode. (WDM2 #18537). There is a small siding sort of a platform adjacent to Platform 1, which had an Erode WDM2 coupled to the rake of a passenger. We left the station at 1005, with a delay of just 5 minutes. Shortly after Canannore, we crossed the Mangalore bound 6601 Mangalore mail coming from Chennai Central. The loco was Erode WDM2ca #14080. (The same loco had hauled my train while I returned from Quilon in April 2005.)

After we crossed Quilandi we met the 6305 Ernakulam-Canannore Intercity with Ernakulam's WDM2b #16804. After Quilandi, we had quick run towards Calicut (CLT- Kozhikode in local language.) We reached Calicut at 1146, with a delay of just 6 minutes. Construction of a new turn-out to approach a newly built platform was under progressing at a rapid pace. An Ernakulam WDM2 #16877 was killing time at a siding then. We left CLT at 1159, now delayed by 14 minutes. At Feroke, we were put into the platform loop since; a light Ernakulam WDM2a #16459 was occupying the main line. The section from Kadalundi Station (KN) to Parpanangadi is still single lined since the construction of a bridge across Kadalundi river is still under progress. An old bridge that existed sometime back went down sometime in 2001 while the Chennai bound Mangalore mail was crossing across the river. As we pulled into Parpanangadi, the Mangalore bound Coimbatore-Mangalore Fast passenger hauled by Erode WDM2 #18533 was seen waiting for us. We left the station by 1240, now delayed by 20 minutes. The section from Parpanangadi to Tirunavaya is now doubled. We pulled into Kuttipuram at about 1327, with a delay of 29 minutes. A Golden Rock WDM2 #16879 was now given a proceed signal towards Calicut . We left the station at 1329. We quickly picked up speed and the train suddenly screeched to a halt in the middle of nowhere. As I peeped out of the coach, the semaphore signals post had three separate arms, indicating a station ahead, were all set to danger. Sometime later, we were given a proceed with caution signal to the loop line.

As we pulled into the station (1414 hrs), Erode WDM2 #18491 was seen waiting for us with her load of BTPN (petroleum tankers) wagons. The station was Karakad (KRKD), which is just a station short of Shoranur. Some time later, at around 1420, the signal of the main lined turned to “proceed”. Soon an Erode WDM2 (#16657) zipped across with her load (6349 Trivandrum – Mangalore Parasuram Express). I anticipated a proceed signal for us soon. But that was nowhere to be seen. Soon the signal on the main line turned to “proceed” again (1431 hrs). This it was Erode's WDM2 #17571 to zip across with her load. (6867 Tiruchirapalli – Mangalore ‘Link' express, a rake of just 5 coaches: One VPU, two SLR and two unreserved second sitting coaches). Soon after this, we left the small station. We pulled into Shoranur by 1445. The water tanks were filled again, and we left the station at 1457. The rake of 2653 Kochuveli – Chandigarh Kerala Sampark Kranti Express was then pulling into the station with Sapthagiri liveried WAM4 #20427 from Arakkonam. This train now runs via a Diverted route and hence has an electric loco from Ernakulam itself.

We crossed into Southern Railway's Trivandrum division at 1505 hrs. The train soon picked up speed and the new Trivandrum division loco pilots, who had just joined into duty from Shoranur, just let the loco rip off. We slowed down as we pulled into Wadakancheri (WKI) station and the train crawled through the station. As we crawled, Erode's WAP4 #22259 pulled in with 1082 Kanniyakumari-Mumbai CST express. There were stares among the passengers as they saw their neighbors on either train. We left the station soon after this. We soon pulled into Trichur at 1530, with just a delay of 10 minutes. We disembarked from our coach. This time since the AC coaches were at the rear end, we were saved from tugging our luggage across the entire length of the platform to access the exit. We soon found our way outside the station and took a bus to our destination, bringing my journey to a temporary pause.

Thanks to everybody for ready this long-ish travelogue. Please send in you comments and remarks…