The passenger run with a revised fare resumes on the stretch today; entire 20-km Neral-Matheran section to open later
With the trials of the narrow gauge Matheran toy train successfully conducted on Sunday, the Central Railway has now decided to open a 2-km stretch between Aman Lodge and Matheran stations for passenger run from Monday morning with a revised fare structure. The entire 20.29km Neral-Matheran section will open at a later date.
The trial of the train at Matheran
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Activist Sunil Shinde told mid-day that the train would be a boon as passengers and tourists come upto Aman Lodge station in vehicles, and since they are not permitted beyond that point, it was a long trek or a horse ride for many.
"The train between Aman Lodge and Matheran will prove to be a boon for many, especially senior citizens. There has been a 60% fall in tourism due to discontinuation of the mini train service. Economy of 25,000 residents in and around Matheran was directly affected," he said.
Train services were suspended a year ago following two derailments in a span of one week. "The train now has a new braking system, higher capacity engine. Work on safety aspect of running the train till Neral has also been put on fast track," a railway spokesperson told mid-day.
The daily shuttle services between Aman Lodge and Matheran will run with three Second Class coaches, one First Class coach and two brake vans (or) four Second Class coaches on this shuttle and will make around 12 trips a day.
The fare will be about Rs 300 for adult first class, Rs 180 for a child and for second class the fare will be Rs 45 for an adult and Rs 30 for a child.
2 km
The stretch between Aman Lodge and Matheran stations
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