MAE/Matheran (2 PFs)

माथेरान

Track: Narrow Gauge

Matheran Railway Station is a small railway station with huge crowds. We visited Matheran Railway Station in June 2023 and here are some tips from my experience:

1. Ticketing: When the entire country is going through the digital revolution, the Matheran ticketing system is still going the old offline way. You cannot tickets book online and it is a big shame that online ticketing isn't implemented yet. We are in 2023 and still, the old system is being implemented. The ticketing window opens 45 minutes before any departure and on weekends, there...
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is a line at least 2 hrs before the departure. If you reach 45 mins before the departure and do not see the staff at the ticketing window, go to the station masters office and ask him to issue tickets

2. Staff: The staff at the railway station is very lethargic and lazy. They do not arrive at the ticketing window on time. If you face any issue with staff behaviour, make sure you complaint on the portal click here and also with the station master. They are government servants and have to do their work correctly.

3. Coaches of Trains: The engineers who designed the 2S coaches of the rakes on the Neral Matheran route were high on something very strong. The seats are very uncomfortable to the seat. There are no racks to keep your luggage. If the coach is completely full, you would see some passengers standing and travelling in spite of having assigned seats as there is no proper space. The rakes need to be replaced with some proper feasible rakes.

4. Facilities: Bare minimal facilities are available at the station. There is one food stall open at the station. As the station is located right in the market area, you get everything around the station. No announcements are made at the station and there is chaos during the arrival and departure of any train

5. Cleanliness: The cleanliness is average.

6. Railfanning: An amazing station to railfan as you can spot the meter gauge locomotives and the scenery is breathtaking. There is a U-shaped line at the end which can be used to reverse the rake directly without detaching the loco and it is an attraction. An old steam locomotive is refurbished and kept on display at the station.

7. Overall: If you wish to travel in the toy train, do it over weekdays and non-public holiday periods for a hassle-free journey.

Have a safe trip,
Vivek

Old Matheran Rail Car-899 (219).
This wooden bodied Rail Car was imported in 1932 from Graham-Paige based at Detroit, United States. It was attached with a petrol driven engine of six cylinders with 30 BHP. It was used on the 2 feet narrow-gauge line in Neral-Matheran hill Section.
Power to the wheels is transmitted by a chain, and the wheel arrangement is rather unique, 4-wheel bogie at front end, single axle at the rear. With a wooden body and a fuel tank capacity of 10 gallons, the car have a capacity of 12...
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passengers. Like all other railcars, this one is provided with a hand brake as well. Although there is one more similar railcar still in existence on the Neral-Matheran line and is used by inspection officials and does not run a regular service.