See photos of the toxic coal train leaving Goa

Nine rakes a day, and a journey of 352 kilometer. The Indian Express tracked over a dozen rakes to find that each train gouges out a thick black line starting from the port, dipping south around Versao, snaking up from Sanvordem, crossing the Zuari river netrwork and fragile forests and indigenious habitats, before crossing the western Ghats to travel to Karnataka. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

At Mormugao Port Trust, each rake goes through a loading process with coal being imported and the same wagons used to pick steel on its way back from steel plants. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

The Rake crosses a stretch near Dabolim, the state's lone airport. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

The rakes cross some of the most scenic views of coastal Goa. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

AT certain stretches, with no foot-over bridge children resort to duck under the parked coal rakes. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

At Arossim, St Lawrence Chapel built in 1559 stands at risk, with the railway's expansion plans. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty )
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

The most common complaint of Goans is the manner in which the wagons are left covered with blue tarpaulins, the edges of which flap in the breeze, posing a health hazard with the coal dust escaping into the Goan settings. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

At most places, atleast 20 minutes are lost when a crossing is shut. With cargo trains the wait is longer as the wagons are more. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

One of the old traditional marker of the railways in the Portugese Period. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

Lack of infrastructure and no foot over bridge poses serious problems. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

Lack of infrastructure and no foot over bridge poses serious problems. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

At risk across the rail corridor is a pristine environment, and a rich green. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

Coal train enroute to karnataka stops at Kulem station . Extra Locomotive Engines are added before it crosses the Ghats. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

At Kulem, two parked rakes tell a story, of coal imports making its way to Karnataka and of finished steel on its way from JSW as an export cargo. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

Of the total 12.51 million tonnes of varied cargo evacuated through train. 11.89 million tonnes constitute coal. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

The first sign of double tracking appeas at Londa after the trains have crossed the Western Ghats at the base at Karnataka. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

Compared to Goa, northern Karnataka offers a very different topogarphy. The region has vast expanses of arid land with no fields and dry landscapes. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

Each rake pulls 58 wagons – which translates to 34200 tonnes of coal per day. That is 34200 tones of coal a day. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

This year, farmers around Hospet opted for sunflower farming. On the way to Toranagallu, the rakes had few stretches where they mingled with full bloomed sunflowers. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

AT Toranagallu, the tracks play geometry as the rakes leave the main lines to reach JSW's steel plant. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

The rakes on its final stretch before it crisscrosses through JSW's industrial township. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa

The rake has completed 352 kilometers at the end of the journey, having cut through an entire state of Goa, and another 200 odd kilometers in Karnataka. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal Burying Goa: What the toxic train leaves in its wake

The wagons enter through three acess gates specially designed for cargo rakes. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Read full story here: Coal on move, 25 tonnes a minute, is choking Goa, more is on the way

Last Stop: JSW Steel Plant, Toranagallu, Post Vidhyanagar, Taluk Sandur, Bellary, Karnataka 583123. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
See more pictures: Images from Ground Zero of the coal routes in Goa