Maharashtra: Neral-Matheran mini train to resume operations from Oct 22

Crash barriers have been put up for additional safety

The heritage railway is back. Finally, the complete stretch of the narrow gauge Neral-Matheran railway will begin on Saturday after a period of three years. Central Railway General Manager Anil Kumar Lahoti, who inspected the section on Thursday, called it a "Diwali gift" for commuters. While two trains will have six coaches, including the vistadome coach, others will have five coaches with first-and second-class bogies. The timings of Aman Lodge and Matheran trains have also changed.

The complete stretch of the iconic route has remained shut since 2019 when the track was damaged due to heavy rain. Monsoon inflicted more damage this year. Officials said old iron sleepers have been replaced with concrete ones and double rails fixed along the track for additional safety, while the embankment has been strengthened with retaining wall and gabion walls. Stone pitching has been done beneath the track for stability and provisions of anti-crash barriers have been made. The railways has built side drains to divert water towards waterway bridges, said an official.

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As of now, the train has been functional on the 2-km stretch between Aman Lodge and Matheran. It has ferried over 1.54 lakh passengers in the past five months, earning over Rs 1 crore, an indication of its popularity. Taxis charge Rs 200 and Rs 400 for a single journey up to Matheran from Neral station. Private cabs like Ola and Uber are not allowed to go beyond a certain point at Neral junction and tourists have to take local cabs.

Bat clean bowls CR at rush hour

Services on the Central Railway collapsed on Thursday evening after a local train remained stationary at Ghatkopar station between 6.05 pm and 6.25 pm. Officials said a bat got stuck in the pantograph leading to power tripping.