DHR fully opened up as Covid recedes

Services resumed over the entire 55-mile distance of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway for the first time in 18 months on 25th August (reports the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society).

The 2ft gauge line’s timetable remains the same as existed when services were summarily withdrawn due to the Covid pandemic on 22nd March last year, with daily departures from New Jalpaiguri at 10.00 and from Darjeeling at 08.00.

There was great concern when it was reported that services were again suspended on 29th August due to a heavy monsoon landslide near Tindharia (World News,

NGW159), but rapid action by both rail and road authorities had the line reopened by 31st August, a remarkable achievement.

As the monsoon will continue through September, further minor disruptions are inevitable, but it is hoped that no major slips will occur.

The currently running train consists of one first-class saloon, one ‘vistadome’ coach and a van. First class fares vary between Rs1,000 and 1,200 (£10 to £12) depending on the season.

‘Joy trains’ covering the 6km run from Darjeeling to Ghum and back have also recently resumed. There can be up to ten journeys a day, but the actual number of trains run is being tailored to demand. Train numbers will increase as more tourists return to the Darjeeling area.

The Northeast Frontier Railway is also introducing an afternoon ‘tea special’ between Siliguri Junction and Rangtong which is a ‘lite’ version of the unique and popular full dining train offered by Darjeeling Tours Ltd.

Covid numbers have reduced to a level where the UK government has now listed India as an ‘amber’ destination, allowing tourism from the UK to resume with restrictions and conditions.

Infection figures for West Bengal. location of the Darjeeling line, are at a reasonably low level: the main Indian Hotspots are Mumbai, the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and Kashmir.

Indian Railways is introducing ‘vistadome’ coaches on the broad-gauge service between New Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar Junction, 169km to the east in an effort to boost tourism to this attractive area. Most local companies have welcomed these moves by Indian Railways, and UK-based Darjeeling Tours is expecting to resume its tours to the area in January.

Photo: Pratim Roy/DHRS Photo: DHRS n Brand-new locomotives these days tend to be replicas of lost classes but not in India, where a new loco has just arrived on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The X-Class loco is to the same basic design at the original engines supplied to the metre-gauge rack line by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works in two batches from 1914 to 1952. Four more were built in India between 2011 and 2014 and in 2020 the central Government ordered one more coal-fired and an oil-fired loco from Ponmalai Goldenrock. Completion of 37400 was delayed by the Covid pandemic. Photo: Diesel power headed the Darjeeling reopening train on 25th August.