Darjeeling's toy trains back on track after more than one year

Formally known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the train service was suspended in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways also tweeted that UNESCO has launched a stamp on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

Darjeeling: Darjeeling's famous toy train is back on tracks, at last. For almost one year, the toy train - a tourist favourite as well as a heritage of the hill town - was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. Formally known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), the toy train is once again running between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal from today (August 25).

According to a statement issued by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), each toy train will have 17 seats in the first class and 29 seats in the general class for passengers. Reports also say that the NFR hopes resumption of the hill station railway services will benefit the tourism and hospitality sectors. With Bengal's biggest festival, Durga puja, less than a month-and-half away, the resumption of the services couldn't have come at a better time. The COVID pandemic has severely hit the tourism sector which is now hoping to recover with covID cases seeing a dip in the country.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways took to the social media to make another annoucement. "It is a moment of pride for Indian Railways as UNESCO has launched a stamp on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. Among a few world heritage sites, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway attracts tourists from all over the world," the tweet read. 

The Ministry of Railways had also tweeted the picture of the stamps

The charm of the train of course lies in its history as well, it dates back to the 19th century. A narrow-gauge railway, the Darjeeling toy train was built in the British era, between 1879 and 1881. It runs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, almost 88km apart, on a zig-zag track.

While most of the scheduled services are now operated on diesel engines travelling from Darjeeling to Ghum, the highest railway station in India, the 'Red Panda' service from Darjeeling to Kurseong is pulled by vintage steam locomotives, giving one a feel of the bygone era.