NERAL-MATHERAN TOY TRAIN TO START FULL SERVICES FROM TODAY

Daily a pair of services will run between Neral and Matheran and five pairs of shuttle services will run between Aman Lodge and Matheran with effect from January 26

Nearly after a gap of 18 months, the toy train on Neral-Matheran route will be reintroduced on Republic Day. A senior railway official said the inaugural run on this 21km route will leave Neral at 10.30 am, touch Aman Lodge at 1.35 pm and arrive Matheran at 2 pm.

This toy train is a major tourist attraction at the closest hill station in Mumbai.

The train climbs up from Neral town to Matheran. It is the nearest cool hill-station to Mumbai and is ranked Asia's only and among a handful worldwide vehiclefree zones, popular with tourists round the year.

As per the information by CR existing shuttle services between Aman Lodge and Matheran leaving Aman Lodge at 4.15 pm and 5.25 pm respectively and the one leaving Matheran at 4.50 pm, will remain cancelled on January 26. Daily one pair of service will run between Neral and Matheran and five pairs of shuttle services will run between Aman Lodge and Matheran with effect from January 27.

“We have finished conducting safety trials on the entire section of narrow gauge line. Earlier in November, the CR resumed toy train services on the 3kms long Aman Lodge to Matheran, after 18 months,” said Sunil Udasi, CPRO, CR.

The toy train services on the entire stretch were suspended following two-back-to back derailments in May 2016. Thereafter, the CR carried out various works like replacing and renewal of tracks, building crash barriers and walls on curves to prevent a train from derailing and falling in gorges, lifted the tracks that had hurried in the red soil and other works totalling to over Rs 11 crore.