Netravati Express

The 16345 / 16346 Netravati Express is a daily Express train connecting capital cities of Kerala and Maharashtra. It operates between Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Thiruvananthapuram Central. The train runs on the Konkan Railway. It is the one and only daily train in Kerala which connects Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram and vice versa on a daily basis. .

Netravati Express

Netravati Express standing at Thiruvananthapuram Central station.
Overview
Service type	Express
Locale	Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka & Kerala
First service	1 April 1987; 38 years ago (1987-04-01) (Inaugural), 1 March 1998; 27 years ago (1998-03-01) (First run through Konkan Railway) 10 February 2001; 24 years ago (2001-02-10) (Extended upto Thiruvananthapuram Central).
Current operator(s)	Southern Railway
Route
Termini	Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC)
Stops	49
Distance travelled	1,799 km (1,118 mi)
Average journey time	31 hours 55 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	16345 / 16346
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, AC 3 Tier Economy, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Available through Pantry
Observation facilities	Large windows
Baggage facilities	Available
Other facilities	Below the seats
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coach
Operating speed	51 km/h (32 mph) average including Halts.
Route map

History

Initially the train the Bombay Kurla (LTT)–Mangalore/Cochin Netravati (Cochin–Kurla) Express was plied between Bombay to Mangalore/Kochi from April 01 1987 as link via the inland Poona, Gulbarga, Guntakal, Renigunta, Krishnarajapuram, Palakkad route parting at Shornur Junction. Trains on the old route used to take 48 hours to reach Mangalore from Bombay. After the Konkan Railway line was operational in 1998, the route has been changed via the Konkan Railway and the Mangalore–Bombay running time was reduced drastically to 16 hours. On March 1, 1998, the Bombay Kurla (LTT)–Mangalore/Cochin Netravati (Cochin–Kurla) Express started running via the Konkan, making it the first scheduled service that ran the length of the Konkan Railway. The link express was made a single train till Kochi^[1] and further extended till Thiruvananthapuram (which is the capital city of Kerala) from 10 February 2001.^[2]

Background

Mangalore city is situated at the banks of the Netravati River. Since this trains terminating point was Mangalore back then, the name of the train was set as Netravati Express.

Traction

As the route is completely electrified since 30 March 2022, a Royapuram or an Erode-based WAP-7 hauls the train throughout its entire journey.

Routing

The 16345/46 Netravati Express runs from Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak , Thane, Panvel, Roha (Technical Halt) crew Change,Khed, Chiplun, Sangameshwar Road,^[3] Ratnagiri, Kudal, Thivim, Karmali, Madgaon Junction, Canacona, Karwar, Kumta, Murdeshwar,Bhatkal,Mookambika Road Byndoor, Kundapura,Udupi, Surathkal, Mangalore Junction, Kasaragod, Kanhangad, Cheruvathur, Payyanur, Kannapuram, Kannur, Thalassery, Vadakara, Kozhikode, Parappanangadi, Tirur, Kuttippuram, Shoranur Junction, Thrissur,Aluva, Ernakulam Junction, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalappuzha, Haripad, Kayamkulam Junction, Karunagappalli, Kollam Junction, Varkala Sivagiri, Thiruvananthapuram Central.

Coach composition

The train was upgraded to modern LHB rake on September 26, 2019, with an MPS of 130 kmph. The train consists of 24 coaches:

• 1 AC II Tier coach
• 4 AC III Tier coaches
• 1 AC III Tier Economy coaches
• 12 Sleeper coaches
• 1 Pantry car
• 2 General coaches
• 2 Generator cars
• 1 Parcel Van

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
	EOG	UR	A1	B4	B3	B2	B1	M1	S12	PC	S11	S10	S9	S8	S7	S6	S5	S4	S3	S2	S1	UR	EOG	VPH

No rake sharing. Four dedicated LHB rakes.

See also

• Ernakulam–Okha Express