In response to the steady influx of summer tourists, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has launched two additional joy ride services on the iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) from Saturday. These special services aim to accommodate the heightened demand for the popular toy train rides between Darjeeling and Ghum.
Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, announced, “We have introduced two special joy rides to be hauled by diesel locos, from today. As of now, it has been decided to continue these two joy ride services till June 30.” Typically, eight joy rides run daily on the 14 km route, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a major tourist attraction.
The newly added rides will operate with a special schedule: the first train departs Darjeeling at 11:25 a.m. and arrives in Ghum at 12:10 p.m., returning at 12:30 p.m. to reach Darjeeling by 1:00 p.m. The second service leaves Darjeeling at 1:25 p.m., reaches Ghum at 2:10 p.m., and returns from Ghum at 2:35 p.m., arriving back in Darjeeling by 3:05 p.m. Each train will feature three first-class chair car coaches, accommodating up to 89 passengers.
Station Master Suman Pradhan highlighted the overwhelming demand, noting that tickets for the existing joy rides are fully booked until May 26. “Tourists were facing difficulty in purchasing tickets due to the rush. Introducing these additional services will help meet the demand,” he said. Pradhan also mentioned the possibility of adding more rides if demand continues to rise.
Tourists have warmly welcomed the new services. Karthick Ghosh from Kolkata expressed relief, saying, “We were not getting tickets as a group of 13. These new rides finally gave us a chance to enjoy the toy train together.” Moumita Ghosh, also from Kolkata, added, “This is my first time on the toy train, and it was only possible because of the additional rides.”
