Union minister Piyush Goyal will flag off the inaugural run of a bi-weekly train between Bandra Terminus and Madgaon on Thursday afternoon, Western Railway (WR) said.
The new train will enhance the connectivity of western suburbs of Mumbai with Konkan region and Goa, it said in a release. “With the commencement of this train service, residents of Mumbai’s western suburbs will have a direct connectivity to the Konkan region,” the release stated.
A day before, the railway board gave its approval for the train. The train will depart from Madgaon in Goa every Tuesday and Thursday at 7.40 am, and arrive at Bandra Terminus at 11.40 pm, whereas it will depart from Bandra Terminus on every Wednesday and Friday at 6.50 am and reach Madgaon at 10 pm.The WR, however, has not yet announced when its regular services will start. It is apprehended, railway sources said, that the 20-car train could affect the punctuality of suburban locals of the Western Railway as the engine of the train is required to be reversed at Vasai Road in the absence of a ‘cord’ or link line between Western Railway and Central Railway.
On Thursday, the train will depart from Borivali at 1.25 pm, and reach Madgaon the next day at 4 am. Enroute, it will halt at Vasai Road, Bhiwandi Road, Panvel, Roha, Veer, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Kankavli, Sindhudurg, Sawantwadi Road, Thivim and Karmali stations. The northern suburb of Borivali falls in Goyal’s Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency. The 20-car train will have AC 2-Tier, AC 3-Tier, AC 3-Tier (Economy) Class, Sleeper Class and General Second Class coaches.
