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By Road
Two National Highways pass through Goa - NH-4A and NH-17. NH-17 links Goa to Mumbai in the north and Mangalore to the south. NH-4A links the state to cities in the Deccan. NH-17A connects NH-17 to Mormugao Harbor from Cortalim, and NH-17B [under construction] will link Mormugao Harbor to NH-17.
Bus services operate from Goa to most towns and cities in neighboring states, such as Mumbai, Pune, Belgaum, Hubli, Bangalore, and Mangalore. The state-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation as well as transport corporations of the neighboring states operates these services. Additionally, there are many private bus operators that provide deluxe bus services along these routes. Bus services operate from Kadamba bus stand at Panaji and similar bus stands in other Goan towns. Most buses arrive in Goa in the early hours of the morning; departures are in the early afternoon. Ticket charges vary from Rs 250 to Rs 650, and can be obtained through travel agents or the offices of the state transport corporations.
The 500-km Mumbai-Goa route is a pleasure owing to the excellent conditions of the highway, and takes about 16 hours. Once travellers get onto NH-17 from Panvel, the road transforms into a two-lane highway. NH-17 passes through a bird sanctuary and Pen. The drive from Pen to Mahad runs south in an ostensibly straight line; after Poladpur, NH-17 changes districts and crosses over from Raigadh to Ratnagiri. The drive through the town of Chiplun affords impressive views of marshlands formed by the river Vashishti. After Ratnagiri junction, travellers must stop at any of the mango sellers and feast on the famed alphonso mangoes - at a steal. Talera is the last town NH-17 passes through before crossing over to Sindhudurg district, and into Goa.
By Catamaran
The Mumbai-Goa catamaran usually operates from October to May. It has a capacity of 225 passengers and takes roughly eight hours for a one-way journey. The tickets are priced in the region of Rs 1700 for economy class and Rs 2000 for executive class.
By Rail
Goa has two central railway stations. The South Central Railway terminus is at Vasco-da-Gama and the Konkan Railway terminus is at Margao The 760-km Konkan Railway has been operational since January 1998, and links Mumbai with Goa [10 hours] and south to Mangalore [15 hours]. Besides these stations, the trains generally stop for a few minutes at several other smaller stations in the state.
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