| |
|
|
|
|
Goa Transportation
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
By Air : Goa is well connected by airline services to most major cities in
India.
 All flights, national and international, to and from Goa,
operate from the Goa Airport at Dabolim near the port town of Vasco-da-Gama.
The airport is about 30 kms from the capital city of Panaji and is
owned by the Indian Navy. Major airline operators such as Indian
Airlines, Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines have flights carrying
passengers and cargo in and out of Goa. Besides these, a number of
chartered flights land in Goa from UK and other European countries.
The national airline Air India also lands a few international
flights, especially from the Gulf countries.
Most of the local airlines have a contact phone number in the city
as well as at the airport where the latest information about flight
status is always available. The list of phone numbers is available
in the travel services section of the website.
It is advisable to book your tickets well in advance, especially
during the high peak tourist season of October to January when most
flights run full. It is also essential to re-confirm your flight
timings at least 24 hours before departure.
Most major international airlines usually have agreements with one
or more of their domestic counterparts in India, so if you are
arriving from abroad it is possible to book your onward domestic
flight at the same time as you pay for your international ticket.
By Rail : There was a time when the train journey from Mumbai took nearly
twenty-four hours,
 on the winding route via Miraj and Pune,
involving a change of trains too.
Today, the high-speed Konkan Railway has a daily train which hardly
takes around 8-9 hours for the same journey. Other trains between
Mumbai and Panaji take typically around 10-12 hours.
The rail route also has trains which travel past Mumbai to other
northern areas of India right upto Delhi as well as down south to
Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
The Konkan Railway has special reservation facility via the internet
for foreigners which allows payment to be made by credit cards.
There are also computerized reservation systems in most metros.
As the demand for the rail journey is quite high and most trains run
filled to capacity, it is highly advisable to reserve the tickets
well in advance of your actual journey to Goa.
Goa has two major railway stations — Margao and Vasco-da-Gama, both
located in the southern area of the state. The South Central Railway
terminus is at Vasco-da-Gama and the Konkan Railway terminus is at
Margao. Besides the two main stations, the trains usually halt for a
few minutes at a number of other smaller stations in Goa.
The Konkan Railway has trains which ply between Mumbai and Goa and
other destinations. The latest updated schedules for these are
available on the official Konkan Railway website. The South Central
Railway has one train, the Nizamuddin Goa Express coming in daily in
the early morning. This train departs from Delhi and comes to Goa
via Pune.
The Konkan Railway undoubtedly offers the quickest and cheapest
route to Goa from Mumbai. In Mumbai there are two booking offices:
one is on the upper floor of the Western Railways booking office in
Churchgate Station and the second is at the Central Railway booking
office, at the rear of Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria
Terminus or VT).
By Road :
Goa is connected with all the major towns in India via the National
Highways NH4A, NH17 and NH17A. In most places along the way, the
highway roads are in excellent condition and motorable at fairly
good speeds.
There are bus services operating from Goa to most towns and cities
in neighbouring states, such as Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum, Hubli,
Bangalore, Mangalore etc. at fairly regular intervals throughout the
day.
These services are operated by the state owned Kadamba Transport
Corporation (white and blue buses) as well as the respective
transport corporations of the neighbouring states. Besides there are
numerous private bus operators who provide all kinds of bus services
from special to deluxe AC to sleeper coaches along these routes.
The bus services operate from the huge Kadamba bus stand at Panaji
and from similar but much smaller bus stands in other Goan towns.
Most buses tend to arrive in Goa in the early hours of the morning.
The departures are in the early afternoon as well as early evening.
The buses usually stop along the way for dinner and breakfast at
roadside restaurants.
Ticket charges vary from Rs 250 to Rs 650, depending upon the
distance, the season, the demand and the quality of bus service. A
journey to Mumbai, takes around 12-16 hours.
The tickets can be obtained through recognised travel agents or the
offices of the state transport corporations. The private buses
usually depart from the Fort area and make stops at a number of
places around Mumbai before leaving the city.
Ensure that you have your seat and the bus registration number, and
confirm the exact time and place of departure with the travel agent,
as these frequently vary between companies.
The drive down from Mumbai, if you are coming by car, is along the
beautiful highway which hugs the Konkan coastline, with excellent
scenic beauty and typical small towns and villages along the entire
route. There are a few winding and steep routes (called 'ghats')
across the mountain ranges which add to the charm of the journey.
By Sea :
In the sixties and seventies, there was actually a pair of steamers
which used to ply between Panaji and Mumbai, carrying loads of
passengers on a charming journey along the Konkan coastline.
A catamaran service was started by Damania Shipping in 1994, between
Mumbai and Goa, using a beautiful Scandinavian-built vessel, with
aeroplane-style reclining seats. The trip from Mumbai used to take
seven hours to reach Panaji. The catamaran too, travelled around 40
km offshore, giving travellers a glimpse of the palm-fringed Konkan
coast.
The service was later taken over by another company, Frank Shipping
before being closed down due to technical reasons.
A new service by Samlink has started in Dec. 2004 and plies thrice
weekly from Mumbai to Goa. Departures are at around 9 am and
arrivals at around 6.30 in the evening.
|
| |
|
