Darjeeling Toy Train Starts Six New Joy Rides For Puja

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has announced six new joy rides to handle the heavy rush of tourists during the Durga puja festival. This step aims to give tourists more chances to enjoy the mountain views and make train tickets easier to get. Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway, shared this update during an event.

New Joy Ride Routes and Ticket Prices

Four round trips will run between Darjeeling and Ghum stations using diesel engines with a ticket price of eight hundred rupees. Along with this, two special round trips will start between Kurseong and Mahanadi. The first ride named Red Panda will use a steam engine, leaving Kurseong at nine in the morning and returning from Mahanadi at ten, costing 1,530 rupees. The second diesel-run ride named Mukt Dhara will leave Kurseong at 3:15 in the afternoon and return from Mahanadi at four, priced at 1,030 rupees.

New Train Drivers To Be Hired

Railway authorities have started the process to hire at least 15 new train drivers to reduce the workload on current staff. Right now, seventy drivers manage all toy train services, joy rides, and jungle safaris. A diesel joy ride needs two drivers, while a steam joy ride needs four drivers. DHR director Rishabh Chaudhary stated that the hiring process will finish in the next one to one and a half months.