The best overnight train to travel on Konkan Railway specifically for Goa bound passengers. I finally got my first experience to travel in the "Rocket" and it really lived upto its name. Please find my observations based on my travel from Thane to Karwar and Madgaon to Thane in 3AC compartment listed below:
1. Punctuality: I've heard about it being delayed in the recent past due to the delayed departure but during my instance, it reached the destination quite decently. The Speeds that it hits are truly a treat for the railfans. 12134 impressed me a lot with the Alco chugging and going on a spree after Kankavali. The only issue is the 12134 getting a delayed departure from MAJN. In the...
more... DOWN direction, it departed with a delay of half an hour and reached Karwar with a delay of a couple of hours and in the UP direction, it departed MAO with a delay of half an hour and reached Thane with a delay of an hour.
2. Coaches and Cleanliness: The Coach is of customary ICF design with decent interiors. The Linens and Pillows were very clean. Both 12133 and 12134 have OBHS(On-board Housekeeping Service) and the 3AC Coaches were quite clean. The staff arrived after MAO to collect the leftovers at each berth. Charging points with mobile holder are present at each bay and Side berths as well. A mirror is provided at each bay.
3. Toilets: It is equipped with Bio-Toilets (atleast in 3AC) and liquid soaps are provided. The toilets were quite clean throughout the journey.
4. Food: As there is no pantry car, food is provided by private vendors. In 12133, we had Veg Sandwich for 40 Rs which was decent. In 12134, the food was loaded at Kumta and served till we reached Kankavali. Chicken Biryani and Chapati Bhaji were available during our travel. Chapati Bhaji costed Rs. 45(4 Chapatis ad Potato Curry) and the taste was average and not that great. The roti is made of Refined Flour(Maida) and not Wheat Flour.
5. Booking/Reservation: If you are travelling from Mumbai To Madgaon and find the seats full, book upto Udupi. CSTM to UD comes under General Quota and hence there more seats available.
6. Railfanning: As it is a overnight train, there is not much in terms of railfanning(upto MAO) other than the lovely Alco chugging sounds and the magnificent speeds. If you are travelling upto MAJN, then you are in for a treat as it goes on a spree after MAO.
Have a safe trip.
please wait...Translate to EnglishYo, the best train for all you Goa-bound peeps on the Konkan Railway is the "Rocket". Just had my first ride on it and damn, it lived up to its name. Here are my thoughts on my journey from Thane to Karwar and Madgaon to Thane in the 3AC compartment:
1. Punctuality: Heard it has been late before, but this time it reached the destination on time. The speeds it hits are awesome for all you railfans. 12134 really impressed me with its Alco chugging after Kankavali. Only issue is that it often leaves MAJN late. On the way down, it left half an hour behind schedule and arrived in Karwar a couple of hours late. On the way up, it left MAO half an hour late and reached Thane an hour late.
2. Coaches and Cleanliness: The coach is just your average ICF design with decent interiors. The linens and pillows were clean. Both 12133 and 12134 have on-board housekeeping service and the 3AC coaches were pretty clean. The staff came after MAO to pick up any leftovers from each berth. There are charging points with mobile holders in each bay, including the side berths. Each bay even has a mirror.
3. Toilets: The toilets in 3AC have biotoilets and they were clean throughout the journey. They even provide liquid soap.
4. Food: Since there's no pantry car, private vendors provide the food. On 12133, we had a decent veg sandwich for 40 bucks. On 12134, the food was loaded at Kumta and served till Kankavali. We had chicken biryani and chapati bhaji. The chapati bhaji cost 45 bucks for 4 chapatis with potato curry. The taste was okay-ish, nothing great. The rotis are made from refined flour, not wheat flour.
5. Booking/Reservation: If you're traveling from Mumbai to Madgaon and can't find seats, book up to Udupi. CSTM to UD comes under the general quota and there are usually more seats available.
6. Railfanning: Since it's an overnight train, there's not much for railfans (up to MAO) besides the sound of the alco engines and the fast speeds. But if you're going all the way to MAJN, get ready for a treat because it goes crazy after MAO.
Have a safe trip, y'all!