11/01/2022
Running down the southwest coast of India, the Konkan Railway is a feat of engineering excellence, with the Western Ghats flanking one side and the Arabian Sea sparkling quietly on the other. Submerged between coconut groves, palm trees and great swathes of wet greenery, trains travel with the doors flung open and warm air billowing up the aisles. The Mandovi Express is one of many services on this route, but it’s widely known for housing the best pantry car on Indian Railways, with vendors traipsing up the aisles carrying baskets of hot pakoras, chicken lollipops and pots of fresh biryani with yoghurt.