This tip is straight from my recent journey on both the 12133 and 12134 trains in 3AC in Oct 2023. Here are the deets:

1. Punctuality: The Mangaluru Express is like always late, man. 12133 CSMT MAJN SF is about an hour late to Kumta and 2 hrs late to MAJN on average. 12134 is even worse, starting late cuz of 12133 and being delayed by a crazy 5 hrs reaching Mumbai daily. The train's been neglected by the railways, used to be top-notch in the Konkan route. Better chance with 12133, but think twice for 12134 with its chronic 5 hrs delay. If you're cool with waiting, this train is dope for cleanliness and other stuff.

2. Cleanliness: The train's well kept with onboard cleaning. Thumbs up to the cleaners in both 12133 and 12134. After 12133 hits Mangaluru, they lock up and clean the coach for 30 mins. Scored a perfect 10/10 for cleanliness!

3. Food: No pantry car, gotta hope for food at stops. In 12133, found a vendor selling grub after Thane, but I'd avoid relying on it. Breakfast in 12133 is from Kankavali and offers Tea, Coffee (Rs. 10), Upma (Rs. 25), Bread Omlette (Rs. 50), Idli Sambhar, all fresh n tasty. Goli Bajji from Karwar. In 12134, dinner was late at Kumta because of a 4-hr delay. Dinner includes Veg Biryani with Raita (Rs. 90), Chicken Biryani without Raita (Rs. 120), Roti with Egg Curry, and Tomato Soup, all good from Ravikiran Catering Contractors Kumta.

4. Coaches: Still rocking ICF Coaches with chill 3AC cooling. Seats, toilets, all good. Watch out for the RAC passengers in B4 Coach of 12133, try to avoid it.

Overall: Cleanliness and overnight vibe of the train are awesome, but the delays are a major buzzkill. If you're not in a rush and wanna have a relaxed ride, hop on this one.

Used to be a real speedster, now just another slowpoke train.

Vivek

Ya tip meri haal hi mein hui yatra se hai in dono trains mein, 12133 aur 12134, 3AC mein Oct 2023 ke mahine mein. Neeche details milenge:

1. Punctuality: Mangaluru Express sabse kam samay par chalti trains mein se ek hai KR section mein. 12133 CSMT MAJN SF Kumta tak lagbhag ek ghante der se pahunchti hai aur MAJN tak average 2 ghante der se pahunchti hai. 12134 late start hoti hai 12133 ke late pahunchne ki wajah se aur Mumbai tak average 5 ghante der se pahunchti hai rozana. Railways ne poori tarah se ek train ko ignore kar diya hai jise Konkan section mein priority ke liye jaana jaata tha. Main suggest karunga ki 12133 mein booking kar lo kyunki 2 ghante ki der samajh me aati hai, lekin 12134 mein booking karne se pehle do baar sochna chahiye kyunki last couple of years se 5 ghante ki average der lagataar hoti hai. Agar bohot time hai toh yeh best train hogi kyunki safai aur facilities ache hai.

2. Cleanliness: Train ka bohot acche se maintain kiya jaata hai aur Onboard Housekeeping hoti hai. Cleaning staff achha kaam karti hai dono trains mein, 12133 aur 12134 mein. Jab 12133 Mangaluru pahunchti hai, woh darwaze lock kar dete hain aur 30 min tak poori coach ko saaf karte hain, uske baad board kar sakte ho. Main 10/10 dunga safai ke liye.

3. Food: Is train mein pantry car nahi hai aur tumhe intermediate stations me load ki hui food par nirbhar rahna padega. 12133 mein Thane se nikalne ke baad ek vendor dinner aur paani bech raha tha lekin main strongly suggest karunga ki uspar nirbhar na ho. 12133 mein Breakfast Kankavali se load hota hai jisme Tea, Coffee (Rs. 10), Upma (Rs. 25), Bread Omlette (50), Idli Sambhar aate hain. Swad bohot accha tha aur fresh lag raha tha. Goli Bajji Karwar se load hota hai.
Jab 12134 mein humari train Kumta mein 4 ghante late thi to Dinner Kumta se load kiya gaya tha. Main sure nahi hoon ki agar regular run me der na ho (jo last 2 saalon me hua nahi), toh kya yeh waisa hi hota hai. 12134 mein Dinner me Veg Biryani with Raita (Rs. 90), Chicken Biryani without Raita (Rs. 120), Roti with Egg Curry aur Tomato Soup aate hain. Veg Biryani aur Chicken Biryani achhe the aur dinner Ravikiran Catering Contractors Kumta se tha.

4. Coaches: Yeh ab bhi ICF Coaches ke saath chalti hai lekin 3AC cooling bohot acchi hai. Births, toilets, etc. bhi acchi condition me hain. 12133 mein B4 Coach me RAC Passengers hain, agar possible ho toh avoid karo.

Overall: Train ki safai aur overnight schedule sabse bada fayda hai lekin delays bada concern hai. Agar tight schedule nahi hai aur achhi yatra karna hai toh yeh train choose kar sakte ho.

Ek samay ka Legendary Rocket, ab yeh passenger train ban gayi hai.

Yo, the best train for all you Goa-bound peeps on the Konkan Railway is the "Rocket". Just had my first ride on it and damn, it lived up to its name. Here are my thoughts on my journey from Thane to Karwar and Madgaon to Thane in the 3AC compartment:
1. Punctuality: Heard it has been late before, but this time it reached the destination on time. The speeds it hits are awesome for all you railfans. 12134 really impressed me with its Alco chugging after Kankavali. Only issue is that it often leaves MAJN late. On the way down, it left half an hour behind schedule and arrived in Karwar a couple of hours late. On the way up, it left MAO half an hour late and reached Thane an hour late.
2. Coaches and Cleanliness: The coach is just your average ICF design with decent interiors. The linens and pillows were clean. Both 12133 and 12134 have on-board housekeeping service and the 3AC coaches were pretty clean. The staff came after MAO to pick up any leftovers from each berth. There are charging points with mobile holders in each bay, including the side berths. Each bay even has a mirror.
3. Toilets: The toilets in 3AC have biotoilets and they were clean throughout the journey. They even provide liquid soap.
4. Food: Since there's no pantry car, private vendors provide the food. On 12133, we had a decent veg sandwich for 40 bucks. On 12134, the food was loaded at Kumta and served till Kankavali. We had chicken biryani and chapati bhaji. The chapati bhaji cost 45 bucks for 4 chapatis with potato curry. The taste was okay-ish, nothing great. The rotis are made from refined flour, not wheat flour.
5. Booking/Reservation: If you're traveling from Mumbai to Madgaon and can't find seats, book up to Udupi. CSTM to UD comes under the general quota and there are usually more seats available.
6. Railfanning: Since it's an overnight train, there's not much for railfans (up to MAO) besides the sound of the alco engines and the fast speeds. But if you're going all the way to MAJN, get ready for a treat because it goes crazy after MAO.
Have a safe trip, y'all!