MAO/Madgaon Junction (6 PFs)

Local Name: Margao

मडगाँव जंक्शन

मडगांव जंक्शन

Track: Double Electric-Line

If you're traveling in Goa, bro, there ain't no Ola or Uber taxis. But don't worry, the Goa government has got your back with their own app called GoaMiles. So, make sure you use that and don't get scammed by those greedy cab drivers who just wanna rip off clueless tourists, man. You can find the app on Google, just search it up. Happy travels, dude!

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!

Just outside Platform 1, there's a taxi stand where you can give them the exact address and book a taxi. When we went to Panaji, we paid Rs. 1150/- for the ride. Surprisingly, when we were coming back, we booked a cab from outside the Panaji Bus stand. The cab driver picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at Madgaon Junction for only Rs. 900/-.

Sirf PF1 ke bahar prepaid taxi stand hai jahan aap sahi pata bata sakte hai aur taxi book kar sakte hai. Humne Panaji jaane ke liye Rs. 1150/- diye. Ashcharya ki baat hai, wapas aate waqt humne Panaji Bus stand ke bahar se cab book ki thi. Cab driver ne hotel se hume lekar Madgaon Jn tak sirf Rs. 900/- liye.

Yo, there's this park about 1.5 KMS away from Madgaon Jn. It's called Aga Khan Children's Park and right next to it is a Govt park. When we got there at 2 PM, Aga Khan was closed but the Govt park was open. It was pretty chill with a nice breeze, so we just chilled and enjoyed ourselves. The park was clean and nearby there's an ice-cream shop. The ice cream was bomb! The auto rickshaw charged us Rs. 120 from the railway station (outside pf 3) and the same amount when we returned. Outside the park, loads of people were waiting for buses to different spots in Goa.

Madgaon Jn se kareeb 1.5 KMS door ek park hai. Uska naam ha Aga Khan Children's Park or uske paas mein ek Govt park bhi hai. Jab hum wahin pahuche toh Aga Khan park band tha (2 PM tha) lekin Govt park khula tha. Wahaan thandi hawa chal rahi thi isliye hum baithkar mazze kar rahe the. Park saaf-safai se bhara hua tha. Sirf park ke paas mein ek ice-cream shop bhi hai. Ice cream sach mein acchi thi. Ek auto rickshaw railway station se (pf 3 ke bahar) Rs. 120 liya tha aur wahi samaan wapis jaate waqt bhi liya. Goa ke alag-alag jagah jaane wali buses ke liye log park ke baahar hi intezaar kar rahe the.