By Toy train of Darjeeling: A joy ride of tea city
Darjeeling is a hill station situated in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal state. The beautiful tea gardens, slopes of rolling hills, and the cute beautiful ‘Himalayan Toy train’.
The train of Darjeeling has always been a tourist attraction and has fascinated voyagers from all over the world. This toy train also won the title from the UNESCO world heritage site in December 1999 due to its master construction through the narrow hills and lower plains.
The Joy ride
The Darjeeling toy train operates from Darjeeling railway station covering a two-hour trip from Darjeeling to Ghum and a return trip via Bastia loop. The total distance of the entire ride covers about 14 km distance and there are several rides from the morning.
The rides and rounds are more during the peak season and the rides are as per everyday tourist demand. Darjeeling being a hill station, the peak season is during summers when the joy rides are around 20-25 a day.
The tourists love the scenic beauty of the hills and experience and explore the train journey through the narrow tracks. The toy train at Ghum takes a halt of 25 minutes to cover the nearby tourist attraction – The Darjeeling railway museum.
The museum has the oldest train engine on display named ‘Baby Sivok’.The tourists can visit the museum and enjoy the site with friends and family.
The train schedule
The joy ride of the Darjeeling train is mentioned in the Indian Railway train schedule. The toy train rides vary as per season and demand. There is a steam engine toy train of old British colonial aura and experience. And another is the Diesel engine toy train. The tickets are full during seasons, hence the tourists need to book the tickets well in advance. The bookings can be done on the Indian railway website irctc.co.in
Toy train fares
Diesel engine rides: 1000 INR for first-class seats
Steam engine rides: 1600 INR for vista dome first-class seats
1500 INR for first-class seats.
History and routes of Toy Train
The Darjeeling train was started in the year 1878 when Franklin Prestage an agent of Eastern railway first visited Darjeeling. He submitted the proposal to Government to run the train on about a 2-foot wide track and the journey from Siliguri to Darjeeling could be covered easily.
There are about 12 stations for the entire trip of the train.
- New Jalpaiguri
- Siliguri
- Sukna
- Rantong
- Kurseong
- Tung
- Gayabhari
- Mahanadi
- Sonada
- Ghum
- Tindharia
- Darjeeling
Thus Darjeeling toy train is the romantic heart of Darjeeling. It has always been a joy to residents and the tourists and visitors of Darjeeling since 1881. Hence tourists can soak in the Darjeeling ride and the scenic beauty of the hill station. The joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghum via Bastia loop is a journey to enjoy and have fun through the tea gardens of Darjeeling. The Diesel engine and steam engine give the feel of the old British colonial era. The 12 stations and the round trips, the tea gardens, and the Darjeeling museum the narrow tracks are all the beauty of a toy train. So are you ready to enjoy the train ride in the hills of Darjeeling? Enroute Darjeeling !!
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