I have been to Thivim Railway Station twice in Dec 2023. Listing down the detailed tips (exhaustive) based on my experience:

1. Getting Around:

If you wish to go to Candolim, Calangute, Baga,...
more...

Anjuna, Morjim or Arambol areas of Goa, this would be the convenient station.

A. Prepaid Taxis (Yellow Black): A 24 hr prepaid taxi counter is available at the station near the PF1 exit. The rate card as of Dec 2023 is attached below. Thivim to Baga and Calangute costs 850 for non ac and 1050 for ac (if AC cab is available) for 4 passengers. The availability of prepaid taxis is aplenty and there shouldn't be an issue of shortage. Reach the booking counter as soon as possible to avoid long queues as a lot of passengers deboard at Thivim.

B. GoaMiles Cabs: GoaMiles is the only app based taxi aggregator by Goa Tourism (Govt Body) with the absence of Ola and Uber in Goa. GoaMiles used to be a great option previously but in 2023, I could not trust it as I had tried to book a cab from Thivim for about 30 mins and it wasn't available and eventually had to take the prepaid taxis. The difference in fare between Goamiles and Prepaid Taxi was about 400 for a trip to Baga with Goamiles quoting lesser. Goamiles cabs aren't aplenty at Thivim and Karmali Stations but you would find them easily at Madgaon Jn and other beach side areas. Keep the app handy as it may help during your travel. You have to add money in GoaMiles wallet before booking a ride. Even if you don't use it, full refund is provided without any charges. Goamiles app also has Bus timetables feature with live bus tracking for some of the buses and it might come in handy.

C. Bike Pilots: One Bike Pilot was available at the station during our visit.
If you do not have any luggage and are travelling solo, bike pilots are an economical option.

D. Bus Stand: The closest Bus stop is about 300m from the station and it takes 5 mins by walk. If you wish to go to Baga, Calangute and anywhere on the north side, you would have to take a bus to Mapusa Bus Stand and then change over for a bus to the corresponding destinations. If going anywhere down south, Panjim bus stand should be your layover point. Direct buses are available but not many. You may use GoaMiles app for checking the bus timetable.

E. Taxis from Hotels: Even if you book a Taxi from your Hotel near Baga or Calangute, they shouldn't charge more than 1000 for a Swift Dzire (AC) as of Dec 2023. They would quote more but bargain to this price. The 1000 Rs charge includes 30% additional fare of coming empty one way.

2. Platforms: There are 2 operational platforms at Thivim Railway Station with Platform no 1 being the primary one. Even if your train arrives on PF 2, you would have to take the bridge and come to PF 1 for the exit as no exit is available from PF 2 side. It would be convenient if your train arrives at PF 1 at Thivim. Vande Bharat, Janshatabdi and other trains with a scheduled halt at Thivim would arrive on PF1 unless there is a crossing. No escalator or lift is currently available at Thivim.

3. Amenities:
Thivim Railway Station is currently undergoing renovation and more facilities might be available in the future. The current amenities as of Dec 2023 are as follows:

A. Seating on the Platform: Benches are available at the railway station for seating but there are nowhere close to adequate and you would see passengers being seated on the ground during Vande Bharat and Janshatabdi arrival time. More benches and seating space is required at this important railway station. If you have to wait for your train even for an hour, I would recommend booking the retiring room as the platform gets completely crowded and there is no place to seat comfortably.

B. Retiring Room: I had stayed at the retiring room at Thivim for 3 hours and the experience was amazing. The rooms are spacious with modern interiors and clean. Queen Sized Bed with hard mattress, working AC, TV with a satellite cable connection, clean bathroom with western style toilets and 24X7 hot water is available. All the rooms are couple ac rooms and there is no dormitory available. The rates are quite reasonable and the rate card is attached below. I have stayed at the retiring rooms at Madgaon Junction and Thivim and both were amazing. The retiring room is located on PF 1 near the 10th coach coach from CSMT end. Highly recommended and hope they maintain the quality.

C. Waiting Rooms: Separate General and Ladies only waiting rooms with toilets are available. Waiting rooms get crowded during the arrival of the trains. The Waiting rooms are located on PF 1 near the 11th coach coach from CSMT end.

D. Free Water: Purified free cold water dispenser is available on PF 1 near the ladies waiting room. Complaint to the station master if it doesn't work and if they do not fix it, mention that you would complaint on RailMadad.

E. Food at the Station: I would recommend ordering from Food Aggregators like Zomato or Swiggy who deliver right at the station rather than having food at the station. We had ordered Parathas from Thali House restaurant which was delivered in 25 mins and were piping hot with amazing taste. I would surely recommend this outlet from where we packed food for our train too. Pizza Hut delivers at the station via Zomato. There is an outlet on PF1 named Insta Biryani and Curry near the 14th Coach from CSMT end whose menu has been attached below (I haven't tried this and hence can't comment). There is a multipurpose stall on PF 1 near the 12 coach.

F. Relaxing Massage Chairs (Paid): Relaxing chairs which is a new trend at Goan stations are available on paid basis on PF1 but again get crowded before the arrival of trains. Atleast 5 people were waiting for their chance during our visit.

F. Apparels/Accessories Outlet: There is an outlet called MyPurpose store which sells Tshirts and other accessories on PF 1. Although the items would be costly than the ones sold near beaches, you may try if required.

G. Cleanliness: The station is well maintained and clean.

4. Coach Positions: The coach positions are displayed with a painted board like it is at all the Konkan stations without digital indicators. There is a board near the station master's cabin where they write down the coach positions before the arrival of each train. Please note that the first coach of MAO CSMT Vande Bharat Express halts near the 9th coach position on the platform.

5. Railfanning: It is a nice station for railfanning with the premium trains like Vande Bharat, Tejas and Janshatabdi Express having schedule halts. Being a single line section, the experience gets better with added crossings and overtakes.

Have a safe trip.

Vivek