MAO/Madgaon Junction (6 PFs)

Local Name: Margao

मडगाँव जंक्शन

मडगांव जंक्शन

Track: Double Electric-Line

Some pics of food from Mandovi's pantry car!

Honest opinion, it's overhyped. The food is GOOD, no second thoughts about that, but I feel like the modern day railvloggers have blindly hyped everything up for clickbait content.

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review:
•Bread cutlet: sub-par. For someone who's had cutlets from Deccan Queen(ICF days), Netravati and Mangala(ICF days) and Parashuram, these cutlets were absolutely tasteless.
•Tomato soup: the BEST tomato soup I've ever tasted till date!!! This one's a must try even if you've packed food from home.
•Chicken Lollipop: average to good. I have had better from Netravati's pantry(ICF days).
•Veg fried rice: this was excellent. Would 100% recommend this to anyone.
•Chicken chilli: good. Not comparable to restaurants but was very good by railway standards.
•Chicken fried rice: strictly average. The chicken had a raw smell to it and I had to keep all the chicken fragments aside and consume just the rice. The quantity of chicken was generous though.

Some dishes are excellent, some are good, others are sub-par. So choose wisely and don't fall for the clickbait madness.

If you'd like to watch the travelogue(from a railfan, not a railvloggers), here's the link:
click here

The Official Govt Approved Rates for Tourist Cabs as well as Black and Yellow Taxis has been attached below. Everything is given in complete detail.

If you want to calculate the fare to get to the railway station from your hotel or vice versa, calculate the total distance in KMs and multiply it with the per km fare one way given in the last column (one way journey without return).
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Eg: Baga to Thivim Railway Station = 23 Kms and Per Km Fare (Swift Dzire AC) = 43 Rs / KM
Total Amount = 23 X 43 = 989 (Approx 1000 INR)
I have verified these rates as of Dec 2023 for Tourist Taxis.

Vivek

We undertook a trip in this train from Thivim to Thane in Dec 2023 and sharing the below tips based on my experience:

1. Cleanliness: Good cleanliness and a well maintained passenger coaches. There is Onboard Housekeeping Service (OBHS) on this train and the staff sweeps the coaches (AC) atleast once during the journey and additionally when asked to clean. The toilets were in satisfactory condition and you may ask the staff to clean if they are unclean.
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2. Punctuality: Book this train only if you have ample time and are not in a hurry to get to the destination. It is usually gets rescheduled by atleast an hour from MAO itself due to the pairing train arriving late. Gets thrashed by Vande Bharat, Janshatabdi and Tejas even before Ratnagiri thereby increasing the delay. The arrival timing at Thane is 10.23 pm but it usually arrives after midnight which makes it difficult to find the last mile connectivity from Thane. It is the same case with 11099 as well which gets a delayed departure from Source. It is looped in most of the cases for crossings and gets low priority in the Konkan Section.

3. Food: This was the train in which rats were found roaming in the Pantry Car and hence we absolutely avoided food onboard. I anyways avoid food on any train on IR (barring Ahuja Caterers) but this train has a bad history. If you are boarding from Madgaon or Thivim, get Parathas or other food items packed via food aggregators like Zomato and Swiggy who deliver at the stations. You get Puranpoli, Ghavane Chutney (Neer Dosa Chutney) and Fried Modak at Kankavali Station which may be packed if you wish to avoid food onboard. For anyone still eager to try food onboard, Cup noodles, Omlette, Cheese sandwich were available in snacks while Veg and Chicken Biryani were available for Lunch and Dinner

4. Ticket Availability: Barring a few instances of Peak Season, tickets are easily available in this train. A lot of seats are reserved for VIP Quota which gets released at chart preparation if they are not allotted.

5. UR Coach: As it isn't a daily train and gets less patronage, you may expect UR to be relatively empty than Konkan Kanya, Mandovi and Tutari Express

6. Railfanning: As it covers South Goa, North Goa, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts in daylight, it is a good train for railfanning. Besides, it gets looped on multiple occasions as it gets less priority in the section which can be a boon for railfans

7. Safety: No safety issues observed during my travel and trains running in the Konkan section are relatively safer.

Have a safe trip.

Vivek

Madgaon is one of the most important stations on the Konkan Railway route. I visited this station a couple of times in October 2019 and listing some tips below:
1. Connectivity: Madgaon precisely lies in South Goa and is very well connected to other regions in Goa. Below are some of the means of transport from Madgaon station to other destinations:
a. Bus: Madgaon railway station has a small bus stand located about 200 mts from the railway station platform no 1. The main bus stand is about 3 kms away from...
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the station and buses to almost every destination would be available from the main stand. You may take a bus from the railway station bus stop and alight at the main bus stand or take an auto rickshaw to the main bus stand. Do make sure that you bargain atleast 20% of the quoted fare if traveling by an auto.
b. App based taxis: Goa miles is the app based air-conditioned cab service provided by Goa tourism. Goa miles is one of the best developments in Goa and it was really the need of the hour. They have started accepting online payments and also allow advanced booking for a future travel. We booked a cab through Goa miles from Madgaon station to Agonda and the fare was 1000 INR for a sedan. Private cab operators charge about 1800 for the same distance. In return, we took a cab from Benaulim to Madgaon station and the fare was 180 INR. Avoid prepaid taxis at the railway station too as the fares set by the govt are insanely high.
c. Bike pilots: Multiple bike pilots were available at Madgaon station during our visit. If you are an individual traveling alone, then it is the best option to hire a bike pilot. They are available near the station circle itself.
d. Bike/Car rentals: There would be operators at the railway station who offer bike/cars on rent. These should be self driven and the rates vary according to season. A scooty in good condition should cost around 300-400. You get a good bargain if you hire for a longer period. Do take a video of the scooty before accepting it as an evidence so that you won't be liable for the damages not done by you. Pro Tip: The operators near the beaches offer a better bargain than the ones at the Railway Station.
e. Local Train connectivity: Madgaon station has fair bit of connectivity through local trains. You may take the local and passenger trains to get to your destinations at low costs.
Pernem-Karwar-Pernem DEMU, Madgaon-Mangaluru - Madgaon passenger, Vasco - Kulem - Vasco passenger services are some examples.
2. Amenities at the station: Madgaon railway station has 4 platforms with an escalator on Platform 1. There is a single overbridge connecting all the platforms. If your train has arrival/departure from Platform 1, you don't have to climb the bridge. On platform no 2, you have a ramp on one side of the bridge to easily pull wheel based trolleys.
a. Benches: There are ample benches to rest at Madgaon.
b. Waiting rooms: General waiting room and a ladies only waiting room is available at Platform no 1.
c. Special AC Lounge: A separate paid AC lounge is available on Platform 1.
d. Retiring Rooms: There are plush recently renovated retiring rooms available at the first floor on Platform 1. These renovated retiring rooms equipped with wooden flooring are better than some of the 3 star hotels. I stayed at at an air-conditioned room with a double for 9 hrs and the fare was around 1100 INR incl of GST for two passengers.
e. Water: Purified RO water vending machine is available on Platform no 1 towards Udupi end after Benjoes restaurant. If you have your own bottle, you may refil it at a cost as low as 5 INR for a litre. Use this service instead of buying mineral water bottles.
f. Food: Benjoes Restaurant: The Benjoes rail restaurant serves satisfactory food if not great. We had jeera rice, idli, paratha and all tasted just fine. Had higher expectations after hearing so much about it.
Dominos: Dominos pizza outlet is available at Platform 1 towards Udupi end.
Amul outlet: Amul outlet is present on Platform 1 near Dominos.
Margao Central: This is a rail themed air-conditioned restaurant, not at Madgaon railway station but located about 1.5 kms away at Rawanfond circle. They have renovated an abandoned coach into a restaurant and the ambience is great. We liked the experience at Margao Central. The best way to reach Margao central is by walk.
Other alternatives: Food delivery aggregators like Zomato and Swiggy deliver at Madgaon station and you may give it a try.
3. Cleanliness: Being a major station on the section, it is very clean.
4. Railfanning: It is a great station for railfanning. Almost every passenger train has a halt at Madgaon station and the halt is usually a longer one. The Ro-Ro's(Roll On Roll Off) plying on konkan railway are added attractions.
5. Nearby attractions:
Benaulim Beach: Benaulim is the nearest beach to Madgaon. Very clean beach completely filled with shacks in the season. You may spot Starfish or Blue button fishes here.
Colva: Colva is another famous beach closer to Madgaon.
Dudhsagar Falls: If you are planning to visit the dudhsagar falls, come to Madgaon station and take one of the below means:
A. Take the Vasco Da Gama - Belagavi Passenger Special and reach DDS directly. Please note this is a special train and may not be a permanent one.
B. Board the Vasco Kulem passenger and deboard at Kulem. From Kulem, jeaps would be available for Dudhsagar falls which would drop you at a distance of about 1Km from the falls and you have to trek from here. Kindly note that the jeeps would not be operational in the monsson. Dudhsagar falls is not at all recommended for people who can't walk or trek. If you don't want to trek, you may view the falls from the train itself. For this, you need to take a train from Madgaon going towards Londa Jn.
Have a safe trip.
Pic 1: Special Lounge Rate Card October 2019
Pic 2: Plush Railway Retiring Room
Pic 3: Margao Central Restaurant
Pic 4: Benjoes Rail Restaurant
Pic 5: Menu at Benjoes
Pic 6: Dominos Outlet at Platform #1
Pic 7: Amul outlet at Platform #1