WR to flag off Konkan-bound train from Borivali today

Mumbai: Scuttling under political pressure, the Western Railway (WR) has created a 15-coach train to Konkan that will be flagged off from Borivali on August 29 by the union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at 1.25pm. Union minister Piyush Goyal is also likely to attend the ceremony.
During the election campaign, the duo had announced one such train to be started for the Ganpati festival. Sources said that initially there were even plans to run MEMU trains (intercity local train) after political leaders announced on social media, which was later withdrawn. The earlier date was to be on August 23, though it was later said to be bogus news.
Sources in the railways said there was certainly a rush to find coaches, seek permissions from the Railway Board and get this train ready to be put into service. As a regular service, this 20-coach train will start from Bandra Terminus as a bi-weekly service till Madgaon.
This is for the first time that Borivali will be a halt for Konkan-bound trains. The train will arrive and depart from Bandra Terminus and Madgaon and will have 13 stops at Borivali, Vasai Road, Bhiwandi Road, Panvel, Roha, Veer, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Kankavli, Sindhudurg, Sawantwadi, Thivim, and Karmali. Officials said the total running time will be 14 hours and 35 minutes with an average speed of 42 kmph covering 604 kms.
Since all trains to Konkan and Goa from Mumbai are operated from Central Railway stations, launching a Goa-bound train from Bandra Terminus will greatly benefit tourists from Mumbai’s western suburbs who are eager to visit the popular coastal holiday destination. “We have been demanding a Konkan bound train from Western Railway for a very long time. We are glad that this has fructified,” said C Naik, resident of Vasai and member of the rail passenger association there.
In the absence of a chord line, they will have to change the direction from north to south at Vasai Road to run Konkan-bound trains from their system, which is time-consuming and affects punctuality. The train will depart from Madgaon every Tuesday and Thursday at 7.40am and arrive at Bandra Terminus at 11.40 pm. It will leave Bandra Terminus every Wednesday and Friday at 6.50 am and reach Madgaon at 10 pm, according to the railway notification. It will be operated with 20 LHB (Linke Hofmann Busch)- type coaches, which are designed to improve passenger safety, comfort, and efficiency.