subject: A Short Overview Of Heritage Matheran Train [print this page] The hill stations near Mumbai have always been attracting large numbers of travel lovers from India and abroad. Scenic, unpolluted and lush green environment, Matheran is a fantastic tourist destination. Matheran is situated at a height of 803 m above sea level.
Matheran was developed during the British rule, when British Officer Hugh Mallet was the Collector of Thane. The Ministry of Environment and Forest has put Matheran in eco-sensitive category. It is one of the few places in the world where vehicles are not allowed, which makes the place different from others.
Since motor vehicles are banned in Matheran, it quite peaceful despite thousands of visitors coming here every year, mostly from Mumbai. Many tourists prefer to walk in Matheran, although there are some modes of transport available like horses, human rickshaw.
Matheran Hill Railway is a heritage railway built by Abdul Hussein, son of a successful businessman who did like the place and invested in the project. The railway is administrated by the Central Railways and is being promoted as a future World Heritage Site. Every year thousands of tourists use it to reach Matheran from Neral station.
Reaching Matheran with Train from Neral station is what many people plan in their Matheran Trip. It is really a new experience for someone who has not done this before. The distance from Neral to Matheran with Matheran Train is 21kms, which is significantly more than the road distance due to the mountain. If you plan to walk from Neral to Matheran please do not follow the train track path, as this is much more longer. The Matheran Train speed is around 10kms/hr.
The journey is not too expensive as a ticket with second class cost only Rs. 35 and a ticket in first class cost Rs. 210.
The Matheran train service is closed from June to September due to monsoon, there are plans to open it in monsoon and may be in the future one could as well travel with it in monsoon, the administration is currently working to check if it secure to make the trains run in monsoon.
The Matheran train ticket does not include the Matheran entrance ticket; one has to buy it separately at the Matheran entrance gate.
