Much to the delight of tourists flocking to the hills in the festive season, joy rides of the famed toy train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) will resume from Christmas, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official said on Thursday.
Three daily joy ride services will be run between Darjeeling and Ghum stations from Friday, the NFR spokesman said from Maligaon.
“The West Bengal government has given permission for the resumption of joy ride services between Darjeeling and Ghum at present,” he said.
The number of services may be increased later depending on the demand of passengers, he said.
Resumption of services over the full 88-km length of the DHR between Darjeeling and New Jalpaiguri stations in the plains at Siliguri will be considered after necessary permission is accorded by the state government, the NFR official said.
The toy train services were stopped in March owing to a nationwide lockdown declared by the Central government in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
DHR’s toy train service is one of the major attractions for tourists visiting the hills. After the lockdown was eased, stakeholders of the tourism industry have time and again demanded resumption of the service.
The railways however, are yet to decide on resumption of the regular service between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.
According to NFR sources, for the two steam loco rides, the fare per passenger will be Rs 1,500 for the morning ride and Rs 1,600 for the second ride that will be conducted in the afternoon.
For the third ride where the coaches would be hauled by a diesel loco, the fare is Rs 1,000.
“Earlier, nine such joy rides used to run. We will monitor the response of people and would then decide whether to introduce more rides,” said a railway official.
Nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was built between 1879 and 1881. It is about 88 km long. It climbs from about 100 m (328 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling, using six zig zags and five loops to gain altitude.
Six diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum – India’s highest railway station – and the steam-hauled Red Panda service from Darjeeling to Kurseong. Steam-enthusiast specials are hauled by vintage British-built B-Class steam locomotives. The railway’s headquarters are at Kurseong.