Konkan Railway

Konkan Railway, stretch of railway 760 km (470 mi) long in India running through the Konkan region, from Roha, just south of Mumbai (Bombay), in the state of Maharashtra, to Mangalore, in the state of Karnataka.

The Konkan Railway, completed in March 1997, represents a significant engineering feat in that it traverses the rugged terrain of the Western Ghats, bringing a vital communication link, and consequently social and economic advancement, to the previously isolated Konkan region. When the Indian railway network was first constructed under the British, such a route through the mountains was avoided. Instead, after 1907, the easier lowland route from Mangalore to Mumbai was taken.

A broad gauge (1,676 mm) single line, the Konkan Railway runs through three states: Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. It has 171 major bridges, 1,670 minor bridges, and 92 tunnels. The highest bridge (viaduct) is the Panval Viaduct at 64 m (210 ft); the longest bridge is the Sharavati River Bridge at 2,065 m (6,777 ft); and the longest tunnel is the Karbude Tunnel at 6.5 km (4 mi). The railway is also significant for the Konkan region in that it has had the effect of reducing overall fuel consumption and pollution.