Indian Railways

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Toy Train The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways.It was built between 1879 and 1881 and is about 86 km (53 mi) long. The elevation level is from about 100 m (328 ft) at Siliguri to about 2,200 m (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling. It is still powered by a steam engine. A modern diesel engine is used for Darjeeling’s mail. Since 1999 the train has been a World Heritage Site as listed by UNESCO. In 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the original inscription. A standard-gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878.Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available.Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year. History Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899 the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines, and the passenger, as well as goods carrying, were increasing. DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating in the Hill Cart Road and took less time than the railway to reach Darjeeling. During World War 2, DHR played a vital role in transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling. After the independence of India, DHR was absorbed in the Indian Railway, and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 4 miles (6 km) to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988–1989.DHR was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. UNESCO has launched a stamp on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 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. https://publish.twitter.com/?queryhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FRailMinIndia%2Fstatus%2F1430419665482784768&widgetTweet Restoration of Joy Ride services - 16.08.2021 Book tickets on Darjeeling(DHR) Joy ride by searching from DJ to DJRZ or DJ to GHUM. Indian Railway decided to restore the popular Joy Ride services on 16.08.2021, following are the details. Restoration of Joy Ride services - 16.08.2021 Train Time Table Train services over Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) On-demand Jungle SafariRound Trip from Siliguri to TindhariaDeparture at 10:30 and return at 15:20Diesel Hauled Jungle Safari Special train on demand on a round trip basis from Siliguri Junction to Tindharia via Rongtong and back to Siliguri Junction. This train passes through the magnificent Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary and section having Chunbhatti loop and three Z-reverses, the technical innovation in that era to attract tourists traveling in groups, schools, institutions.Evening Safari Special TrainSteam Loco Hauled Evening Safari Special train on a round trip basis from Siliguri Junction to Rongtong and back to Siliguri Junction. This train passes through the magnificent Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary with Heritage NG Steam loco & Heritage Dining car ( Tenzing Norgay) in the evening. Passengers can visit Sukna photo gallery during a stoppage at Sukna for watering.The train runs daily from SGUJ at 14:45 hrs, SN 15:20 hrs, and RTG at 16:00 hrs.Return journey from RTG at 16:35, SN 17:10 hrs and SGUJ at 17:45 hrs.Joy RideDaily-Round trip from Darjeeling to GhumOur popular ride from Darjeeling to nearby Ghum passes a number of well-known Darjeeling sights and attractions as it climbs fearsome 1 in 20 gradients and loops over itself to gain height. The train will stop at Batasia Loop for 10 minutes for passengers to admire the view and then at Ghum for 30 minutes for the DHR Railway Museum. Entry to the museum is included in the fare. Train No.Joy RideDept.Arrv.From & ToClass52593Steam09:1511:20DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC-V52594Steam09:2511:20DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC52591Diesel09:4511.25DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC52595Steam11:3013:25DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC-V52596Steam11:4013:35DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC52597Diesel12:0013:40DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC52598Steam13:5015:45DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC-V52592Steam14:0015:50DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC52599Diesel14:2016:00DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC52544Steam Spl.16:1018:10DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC-V52545Steam Spl.16:2518:15DarjeelingGhumDarjeelingFC Passenger Train New Jalpaiguri-Kurseong-Darjeeling Train No.Train NameDaysDepartureFromToArrivalClass52541NJP-DJ Daily10:00New JalpaiguriDarjeeling17:20FC & AC52540DJ-NJPDaily08:00DarjeelingNew Jalpaiguri15:15FC & AC52587KGN-DJPass. trainDaily06:30KurseongDarjeeling09:05FC & SC52588Daily16:00DarjeelingKurseong18:40FC & SC Updated Timing of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Timing of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Back To Top ^ The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ~ News Updates Shooting Program at The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Now plan and fix your shooting program at the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with just clicks of the mouse https://twitter.com/RailNf/status/1411704187092496388?ref_srctwsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1411704187092496388%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_urlhttps%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FRailNf2Fstatus2F1411704187092496388widget%3DTweet Shooting Program at The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Back To Top ^

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