The hill station may soon get a railbus to shuttle visitors provided they decide who will fund the project; CR passes the buck to MMRDA

Following a letter written by the residents of Matheran to the Central Railway (CR) authorities regarding lack of transportation, visitors may soon see a railbus service between Aman lodge and Matheran hill station.

VA Malegaonkar, Chief PRO CR, says, "We have received a request from the residents of Matheran asking for transportation. However, at present we are not in a position to provide this service as this is an environment issue."

"We are trying to introduce a railbus between the Logde and the hill station. In case the proposal gets approved, the residents will benefit a lot as their livelihood depends only on tourism," said a senior railway official.

At present, visitors have to walk or ride a horse till their destination. The hill station houses 15,000 residents.
"We think that a railbus is the best service that can be provided at Matheran.

The railbus has two to three cabs, can carry up to 40 passengers and can be run in both directions. It can use the existing tracks and runs at a fairly decent speed. The mechanisms are such that there is no fear of it rolling back while climbing steep slopes," added the official regarding the safety of the railbus.

However the railways officials claim they are low on funds and want the MMRDA to fund it. At present, CR runs seven toy trains services from Neral station to Matheran on weekends and four on the weekdays.

Motorised vehicles are not allowed after Dasturi naka which is nearly three km before Matheran hill station. Tourists have to shell out Rs 600-800 for a horse or opt for a handcart. This deters many tourists from taking a trip to Matheran.