Mumbai CST - Karmali Tejas Superfast train to be inaugurated tomorrow

Karmali, also known as Carambolim, is one of the prominent villages of Goa situated in the Tiswadi taluk of North Goa District. The village has a rich history and is renowned for its wet lands and churches. Panaji, the state capital, is 13 km west of Karmali.

This place is in news – being connected to Mumbai by Train - Mumbai CST - Karmali Tejas Express. The train has 5 halts, though there are  76 intermediate Stations between Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Karmali. Indian Railways is introducing  high speed, air-conditioned Tejas Express (Train No 22119/22120) between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai and Karmali for the first time. Tejas Express is a state of the art train capable of running at the speed of 200 kmph with ultra modern amenities run between Mumbai and Karmali (5 days a week during Non-monsoon period and 3 days a week during monsoon period).

Mr Suresh Prabhu, Union Railway Minister  will flag-off Train No. 22119 Mumbai CST-Karmali Tejas Superfast as Inaugural Special 02119 from Mumbai CST on 22/05/2017 (Monday) at 15.25 hrs via Video conferencing from Swami Narayan Sabhagruh, Dadar. The train will reach Karmali at 00:35 hrs on next day.  Karmali railway station is the third station (after Pernem and Tivim) within Goa, when entering from the north, under the jurisdiction of Konkan Railway. Karmali railway station is closest railway station to the State capital Panjim or Panaji, which is the administrative capital of Goa, and is located in the central part of Goa.

Mr. Prabhu had earlier inspected the rake in Delhi. During his Budget speech in 2016, he had said Tejas would "showcase the future of travelling by trains in India." The Tejas Express is quipped with  “Lazy Boy” type recliners, USB charging ports, LED TVs at the back of the seats, coffee vending machines, CCTV cameras and GPS-based information displays.  According to the fare chart released by the railways on Saturday, passengers will  pay almost three times more than what they pay for normal trains to reach Karmali in the first air-conditioned compartment and chair-car of Tejas Express. The high-speed rake is capable of running at the speed of 200 kmph but due to track constraints will run at 160 kmph.

Some reports state that a  day before Tejas Express will embark on its maiden journey from Mumbai to Goa, unidentified persons damaged the windows of the Indian Railways' premium train. The windows, made of glass, were found cracked after the train arrived in Mumbai from Delhi, news agency ANI reported on Sunday.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

21^st May 2017.