Ratnagiri is a superb station on Konkan Railway.
Here are a few tips based on my experience:
1. General: Ratnagiri railway station is one of the very well maintained stations on the Konkan Railway. There are three platforms where PF#2 and 3 are island platforms. Even if your train arrives at PF #1, you would have go through the bridge in order to get out. One advantage of the train arriving of PF #1 is that there a lift is available on PF#1 which takes you to the top, eliminating the need of...
more... taking the stairs.
2. Ganpatipule: Alight here to visit the famous Ganpatipule Beach/ Temple. You would get Rickshaws directly to the beach from the station. In order to board a rickshaw to Ganpatipule, you need to get out of the station from the PF #1 side. They charge you around 400-450 rs. The Rickshaws take you through the Aarey-Warey beach route which is quite scenic. If you would like to take a State Transport bus, they are available from Ratnagiri depot which is at quite a distance from the station. You may take a ST bus from station to depot and from there, another one to the Ganpatipule.
3: Amenities: This station has a common waiting room, a ladies only waiting room and a dormitory, all near the RPF office above PF#1. Both the rooms are way below average and badly maintained by a private organization. Instead you could rest at the benches provided near the ticket counters. The UTS ticket counters, current ticket counter and the enquiry counter are above PF#1. Water coolers are provided on PF#1 and above PF#1, near the lift.
4: Food: We had our lunch at this station and the food was above par if not awesome. There is one stall above PF#1 which serves chapati-bhaji, biryani, vada-pav and some other fast foods along with cold drinks and kokam sharbat. Try not to have Vada-Pav's from the Vendors at this station as it is tasteless.
5. Signboards and Announcements: The announcement facility at this station is quite good. The station is very nicely marked with proper signboards.
6. Railfanning: It is a superb spot for railfanning. Almost every train has a crew change at Ratnagiri in both directions and hence you would get to talk to a lot of LP's and ALP's here. Also note that the staff on Konkan Railway are very courteous and kindhearted. They are real fun to talk to and would always reply to each of your queries. I spoke to the Technical Maintenance Engineer for an hour or so and it was so nice of him to speak to me. There is also a freight platform here and hence you would also get to spot some WDG's. If you have a departure here, arrive at the station 2 to 3 hours in advance as it is ideal for RFing. I arrived 4 hours before the departure of my train and it was an awesome experience.
please wait...Translate to EnglishRatnagiri is a sick station on Konkan Railway. Here's some dope based on my experience:
1. General: Ratnagiri station is lit and well maintained. They got three platforms, but if your train is at PF#1, you gotta cross a bridge. The good thing is that there's a lift at PF#1, so you don't gotta climb stairs.
2. Ganpatipule: Get off here to hit up the famous Ganpatipule Beach and Temple. You can find rickshaws right outside the station, near PF#1. They usually charge around 400-450 rupees. The rickshaws take you through a scenic beach route called Aarey-Warey. If you wanna take a State Transport bus instead, you gotta go to Ratnagiri depot, which is quite far from the station. You'll have to take a bus from the station to the depot and then another one to Ganpatipule.
3. Amenities: There's a waiting room and dormitory near the RPF office above PF#1. However, they're kinda trashy and not maintained well. It's better to chill on the benches near the ticket counters. You can find the ticket counters, enquiry counter, and water coolers above PF#1.
4. Food: We had lunch at this station and it was decent. There's a stall above PF#1 that serves chapati-bhaji, biryani, vada-pav, and other fast food. They also have cold drinks and kokam sharbat. Avoid the vada-pav from the vendors at this station 'cause it's wack.
5. Signboards and Announcements: The announcements at this station are on point. They got proper signboards all over.
6. Railfanning: This place is lit for railfanning. Trains stop here for crew change, so you can chat with the train staff. The peeps on Konkan Railway are hella nice and friendly. They're down to answer any questions you got. I had a full-on convo with the Technical Maintenance Engineer for an hour. There's also a freight platform here, so you might spot some WDG's. If you're departing from here, it's ideal to arrive 2 to 3 hours early for some railfanning. I came 4 hours early and it was lit.
