Konkan Railways

The Konkan Railway is an Indian engineering marvel completed in a record time of eight years. This is no ordinary rail journey. It is a ride that takes you to heavenly waterfalls, jagged mountains, verdant valleys, sun-kissed paddy fields, tiny villages and pristine rivers.

Konkan Railway is undoubtedly the hardest infrastructure project in India as the train passes through places where human access was almost impossible.

Konkan Railway Route
Konkan Railway covers a journey of 738 kilometres, passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.  It embarks from the Roha railway station in Maharashtra and ends at the Thokur railway station near Mangalore in Karnataka.

Konkan Railway History
Building of the Konkan Railway wasn’t easy for the engineers as it had to pass through the rocky Sahyadri range where creating a viaduct was extremely difficult. The train route also covered more than 1,500 rivers which had to be forded.  This challenge was taken by George Fernandes, the then Railway Minister.

George was passionate about this project which fuelled it and made it happen. The builders took up the impossible looking task of cutting through steep cliffs, deep gorges and rocky plateaus. The construction work faced extreme weather conditions like floods, landslides and tunnel cave-ins. However, team work under George Fernandes made it happen.      

Konkan Railway’s Scenic Journey
Today Konkan Railway remains the most beautiful journey which was flagged off on January 26, 1998. The scenic route makes many jaws drop and travellers get awe-struck by its exceptionally planned journey.

This 738 km long journey has 59 stations covering beautiful rivers, streams and other water bodies. The train passes through over 1998 bridges which sound astonishing.

This is not like any other train travel. It is an experience worth cherishing. Konkan Railway is the third highest viaduct in Asia today.