ROUTE:
Lokamanya Tilak Terminus(Mumbai) to Thiruvananthapuram via Konkan Railway.
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ETYMOLOGY:
The train derives its name from the Netravati River on the outskirts of Mangalore City in Karnataka. The train was introduced in the late 1980`s in order to cater to the rising popularity on the Mumbai Kerala route. The original train ran from Lokamanya Tilak Terminus to Mangalore/Cochin with the train being split at Shoranur Jn. one part towards Mangalore and the rest of the train towards Cochin Harbour Terminus.
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HISTORY:
In the period during 1980s there was only one train from Mumbai to Kerala, the old faithful the then 1081 Jayanti Janata Exp from Mumbai to CAPE. the journey on it was 3 day long and tiresome as it passed through the hot regions in AP and Karnataka. During the 70s and 80s Mumbai witnessed a huge influx of people from the southern part of the nation and soon Jayanti became overcrowded. Hence a new train was introduced. The train was to run from LTT to MAQ via Kalyan, Pune, Solapur, Dharmavaram, Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Palakkad, Shornur, Kannur and Mangalore. Soon slip coaches were attached and the train also had runs to Cochin Harbour Terminus. When Konkan Railway opened to the traffic, the train was re routed via KR and extended to Thiruvananthapuram. The current 16331/16332 CSTM-TVC Exp travels the same route as the earlier Netravati Exp. The train was the first SR train to run on KR alongwith the 12619/12620 LTT-MAQ Matsyagandha Exp.
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DESCRIPTION:
The train has a 22 coach rake. It is run by TVC division of SR. The train departs daily from LTT at 11:40 and reaches TVC at 18:40 the next day averagaing a speed of 48 kmph. The train offers both AC and non AC sleeper options as well as non AC seating coaches. It has 12 non-ac Sleeper coaches, 4 AC Sleeper 3 Tier coaches, 1 AC 2 tier coach, 1 Pantry Car, 2 General coaches and 2 General cum Luggage coaches. The train traverses the beautiful Konkan and Malabar Region. The train passes through Mumbai city and the western ghats of Konkan Region and the Malabar Coastal Region in Kerala. The train plies on the Western Ghats which is famous for its bio diversity and offers a scintillating view of the mountains and valleys. the route is exceptionally beautiful during monsoon. The train connects the Marathi and Malayalam speaking regions. the train crosses the rivers of Patalganga, Vasishti, Savitri, Zuari and Mandovi, Sharavati, Netravati, Valappattanam, Kadalundi, Bharatapuzha, Periyar. The train has a poor record of cleanliness. Cockroaches, Mice and Bugs are a common sight in this train. The train has old rakes made in 1998 and have not been replaced yet. The train was the only conection to Kerala from Mumbai via KR untill the introduction of 12201 Garib Rath exp 10 years later. The train is the numero uno choice for the people travelling to Kerala from Mumbai and hits the WL soon. The train has a pantry car aboard and the food is quite tasty though a bit pricey. The train has 46 stopagges in both the directions. The train has a maximum permissible speed of 110 kmph and speeds up as soon as it enters KR.
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LOCO LINK: The train used to hauled by ERS WDMs and later the privilege was given to WDM3Ds from Erode. Soon the links shifted to EMD WDG4 from Pune and currently the train is being hauled by WDP4D from Golden Rock Shed.
The earlier version of the train ran with WCM series loco from LTT to PUNE. Then it was hauled by Pune/GY WDMs untill ED. onwards it was hauled by WAM4s towards SRR and the MAQ bound section was again hauled by ED diesels.
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RSA: The train does not have any Rake Sharing Arrangement.
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VERDICT:
Hugely popular. The train has comfortable arrival timings at all the stations enroute. The pantry has a good food. But maintainence is pathetic and the train is always shabby. The train does good speeds and offers the most pocket friendly option of travelling to Kerala from Mumbai.
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FARES
AC 2 Tier : 2295 INR
AC 3 Tier: 1560 INR
Sleeper Class: 590 INR
General: 292 INR
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RATINGS:
Speed: Poor 4/10
Comfort: Average 6/10
Cleanliness: Troll 2/10
Food: Good 7/10
Punctuality : Good 7/10but unreliable in monsoon
Total score: 26/50
