Darjeeling's toy train still has its charm; tourists say govt can work make it better

By Tanya Chugh
Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], April 25 : The toy train in Darjeeling that has been serving for the last 130 years still has its charm over people. Built between the years 1879 and 1881, the toy train at Darjeeling is also known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Many local and foreign tourists visit Darjeeling to experience the train ride and enjoy Darjeeling's scenic beauty.
One of the tourists from Ahmedabad who took a trip in the toy train was happy and excited.
"It felt like heaven in a toy train but if the government takes it forward with new development, it will be good and we would like to come and travel in it again," Neha Joshi, a tourist from Ahmedabad, said.
Another tourist from Ahmedabad, Mayur Bhai Joshi, also expressed his excitement and said that it is a part of our country's heritage and the trains should exist the way they are.
A tourist from Trivandrum who was travelling in the train, Anita Rajeev, said, "We are enjoying the journey but if some work is done, like the creation of some more space and facilities, then it will be really good."
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a two-foot (610 mm) gauge railway that takes eight trips in a day, four trips run by steam engine and similarly four trips by diesel engine. Seats are usually sold out on most of the days, owing to the huge rush as many people are fond of taking the train ride.
Tilak Babu, a tourist from Ernakulam, added, "We are enjoying this. The government should bring more such things. Further, some work should be done on the road as it is very narrow for the train to pass through. So this should be improved."
Shruti, who had come for a vacation to Darjeeling with her family also praised the initiative of the toy train but was a little disheartened as the journey was not the way she expected.
"The concept of toy train is very good but it is not what we were assuming. We have a toy train that runs from Male to Matheran from in between the mountains and one can enjoy the scenic beauty. This train is only going from the city hassle and one does not see any scenic beauty. It is also causing a lot of pollution. So if they want to carry out this culture, the government can think about electric trains," she added.
The Darjeeling Toy Train was given the status of a World Heritage site in 1999 by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The complete stretch of the train ride is 87.48 km.