The Coastal Rail
The Konkan Railway is an important train line which connects India’s economic capital, Mumbai and the city of Mangalore. The Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd, is one of the few privately run railway lines for public use. It runs through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa and covers 760 kilometers of mountainous terrains and river valleys along the coast. It offers breathtaking views of beaches and lagoons as well.
The Konkan Region
The Konkan region is rich in minerals, coconut fields and mango orchards. Preserving the ecosystem was both an engineering as well as environmental challenge. In order to preserve the landscape, the line made use of tunnels so that they would not have to destroy agricultural land. To further the cause of environmental sustainability, all stations along the way have banned the use of plastic in the form of cups, bags, and cutlery.
Trains of Konkan Railway
- Jan Shatabdi Express – Fastest train runs through Dadar (Mumbai) to Margaon (Goa).
- Matsyaganda Express runs from Lok Manya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai) to Mangalore (Karnataka)
- Konakan Kanya Express runs CST (Mumbai) to Madgaon (Goa)
- The Trivandrum Rajdhani Express is the fastest running train on the Konkan line and runs between Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi Nizamuddin.
Try this yourself
Type in ‘bridges and tunnels on the Konkan rail’ into Google and find out all about the route of the trains on this track.
More fun stuff related to trains –
Learn about the Deccan Queen here.
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