Train No 16346 Netravati Express start from Trivandrum the capital of Kerala and complete the journey at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Kurla.The train travel through Konkan route which connects Mumbai to Goa,Mangalore and Kerala.The train start at 9.50 AM and reach LTT at 4.40 PM.At monsoon,timing will change and the train reach LTT at 5.45 PM.As most of the day time train passes through beautiful places in Konkan route,this train is preferred by travellers who prefer to enjoy nature while travelling.
I booked Netravati express for my travel from Thalassey to LTT in sleeper compartment. On 09-05-2016 I boarded the train from Thalassery.The train was not very much crowded and there were vacant seats too.The sleeper coach was neat and clean and most of the passengers were with family.Train was 1 hour late while reaching Thalassery. I was supposed to reach Thalassery at 8.05 PM but reached around 9 PM.Train started from thalassery within 2 minutes.
Inside the compartment,there was a group of travellers going to Goa. They were very much excited about the journey and was talking about things to do in Goa.Once the train passed Kannur station,I had my dinner.TTE came and checked everyone's ticket.
Train reached Kasargod at 10.45 PM.The group was still talking and there was no sign that they will go to bed.I prepared for sleeping but was not able to get proper sleep because of the noise created by the group.Later they went to sleep.
around 5.30 AM,train reached Madagoan Junction and all of the passengers in the group left the train.All other passengers were disturbed by the noise they made while leaving train.Some passengers were so angry that they were shouting.One new family boarded the train from Madagoan junction and their seat was just opposite to me.
Train reached Ratnagiri at at 9.30 AM. I woke up and went to toilet.Some of the toilets were not clean and some were good.If you wake up late,it is little chance that you find a neat toilet.that was exactly what happened with me.Even though I was expecting the same in a sleeper coach.Since there was no Cup in the toilet,I had to use my plastic water bottle(Keep am empty water bottle with you always!!)
The train has one Pantry car,12 sleeper coaches,5 AC coaches and 2 General coaches.The food served by catering team is of low quality and not even good to eat.They are serving low quality Vada with Idly as breakfast.So better not to buy anything from caterers,keep something in your bag while entering train or buy fruits from villagers who sell inside train.I bought Banana from a villager and it was very tasty.Indian railway required to take lots of efforts to improve the quality of food served inside compartments.
You can see lots of people sell products inside the train.I think this is the main source of income for most of the Villagers throughout the Konkan route.You need to be very careful while buying products as many have mixed experiences.
The train was travelling through the forest and hills of the Konkan route.Even though the summer was at its peak,there was lots of water bodies and greeneries present in the route.You can even sea waterfalls also.That is exactly the speciality of this route.If you are travelling through this route during monsoon,it will be a lifetime memory.
The family was speaking in Tulu that I was not able to understand a single word.They also know English and Hindi.I communicated with them in English and understood that they were going to Mumbai-Thane to meet their relatives.
The train was very slow and was stopping in almost all stops.Once the greeneries were over,I started to feel bored.The heavy heat inside the compartment was also unbearable.Anyway,the overall experience of the journey was good.It was the summer heat that made issue.
After Roha,train gained speed.Once it reached Panvel,it was almost on-time.At 3.20 PM,train reached Panvel. Exactly at 4.40 PM,train reached LTT. In between at Thane,the Tulu family left the train.
The overall journey was satisfactory.The train traveled a little bit slow and stoped frequently for signals.The heavy heat also made problem in Sleeper and General compartments.If you are keen about the neatness of compartments,you can expect average/above average neatness only.Now some railway workers are cleaning the toilets and compartments during the journey also.Thanks for Rail ministry for the new initiative.But still,there is no tremendous progress visible.
The train is suitable for those who want to Travel in Sleeper coach and enjoy the Nature.If you want to travel in 3 tier AC,better option would be Garib Rath as it goes faster and has cheap fare for AC.If you have any such experience of travelling in a train,please free to share with us.
