Nov 23, 2004 12:00 AM
16929 Views
(Updated Nov 23, 2004 12:02 AM)
Since long we were planning holiday to Goa. This November we finally made it.
On the recommendation of one of our friend, we decided to travel by Mandovi Express. To be very frank I was strongly opposing the idea to travel by Konkan Railway, due to very recent accidents in monsoon season. But I lost to majority. I was not at all aware that travelling by Konkan Railway (KR) would be one of my most enjoyable experiences.
We had booked our tickets in 3-tier AC coach on 0103 Mandovi Express from Mumbai CST (V.T.) station. The train was on platform no.15 and our coach was easy to find. To my surprise, the coach was very clean and the AC was running well before the departure of the train. The train departed sharp at 7.00am.
Soon after the departure the ticket checker came, pleasantly dressed in light blue shirt and dark blue trousers. For a change he actually had a smiling face and to be honest the smile looked very natural. The entire train staff was in clean and neat uniform which gave a very professional look.
Then followed the series of food and beverage services from KR. I guess that no other normal train in India would offer such a wide variety of snacks and food items. They had soups, sandwiches, toasts, wadas, dosas, chicken, omlette, variety of Indian and chinese food for lunch and of course tea and coffee. On top of it, they offered Gulab Jamun and fruit salad for dessert !!!
The food was very fresh, warm and tasty. We had no reason or chance to complain. The service was very friendly and some dishes were served in eco-friendly plates made from supari leaves. I carried one of such plate home as a souvenir.
The linen was clean and good quality, and we did not use it as the journey was a day journey.
The coach had clean toilets which never ran out of water. The coach also had two points for charging the mobile phones (wow !). Many train attendants made sure that the coach was clean and they kept on collecting trash / garbage. The AC technician was making sure that the AC was running at a very comfortable level.
The route from Panvel - Roha - Kolad onwards became more and more scenic. The train ran at a comfortable speed and we would take many photographs on the way.
We alighted at Thivim station and the train was running about 40 minutes late - we did not regret the delay at all as the journey was so pleasant.
Highly recommended train and highly recommended route to Konkan region. I hope that KR maintains and still improves the quality of food and service. They can be a serious competition to our Western and Central Railways.
