Suburban station, mountain gateway
Neral Junction (code NRL) is two stations in one. On one side it is a stop on the Karjat branch of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, about 39 metres above sea level in Raigad district. On the other, behind its own code NRLN, it is the base of the Matheran Hill Railway, whose 2-foot-gauge trains climb to the car-free hill station of Matheran.
Opened in 1856
Neral is one of the oldest stations in India. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opened its south-eastern main line from Callian (Kalyan) to Palasdhari on 12 May 1856, with three stations: Badlapur, Neral and Khopoli. The line was the GIPR's approach to the Bhor Ghat, and a second track followed in March 1868.
A railway built by a family
The Matheran line is unusual: it was built privately. Between 1901 and 1907, Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy built the Neral–Matheran Light Railway, financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, a Bombay businessman. It opened in 1907.
| Matheran Hill Railway | Figure |
|---|---|
| Gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
| Length | 21 km |
| Ruling gradient | 1 in 20 (5%) |
| Speed limit | 12 km/h |
| Journey time | About 2 hours 20 minutes |
To avoid a reversing station near Mount Barry, the builders laid a large horseshoe embankment, pierced by the short One-Kiss Tunnel. Steam engines worked the line until 1982; today short-wheelbase NDM-1 and NDM-6 diesels handle its very sharp curves.
Floods and the monsoon
The line was closed by flood damage in 2005 and reopened on 5 March 2007. For decades services stopped every monsoon, from June to October; trials in 2012 allowed limited monsoon running. Full Neral–Matheran services have been suspended at times since, with a shuttle running only at the top, so check current status before planning.
Heading up
- The Matheran Hill Railway is on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list.
- Shared taxis from Neral also climb to the Dasturi car park below Matheran, the alternative when the train isn't running.
- Local trains from Mumbai CSMT and Kalyan run to Neral; see times on the train timings page.