Darjeeling, India: The famous West Bengal’s Darjeeling ‘Toy Train’, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, is one of the prime tourist attractions of Darjeeling. From reel to real life, it has captured the imagination of one and all is back on track once again from Wednesday (Aug 25), after a gap of 17 months due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation. Formally known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR).
The Darjeeling toy train is a narrow-gauge railway that was built in the British era, between 1879 and 1881. It climbs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, around 88km apart, on a zig-zag track. The ‘Red Panda’ service from Darjeeling to Kurseong is hauled by vintage steam locomotives, while most of the scheduled services are operated on diesel engines travelling from Darjeeling to Ghum, the highest railway station in India.
“Each train will have 17 seats in the first class and 29 seats in the general class for passengers,” reports quote NFR’s spokesperson, Guneet Kaur, as saying. She added that the resumption of the hill station railway services is expected to benefit the tourism and hospitality sectors, both of which had taken a serious hit due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Passengers availing the Darjeeling toy train services will, however, have to abide by all Covid-19 necessitated protocols, including the maintaining of social distancing, wearing of masks at all times, and the like, the NFR official said.
