The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway registered a growth in revenue and the number of passengers in 2023-2024 fiscal compared to the previous financial year as toy trains of the Unesco-recognised world heritage property continued to be a big draw for tourists.
The total revenue of the DHR in 2023-2024 was Rs 22.17 crore, which is around Rs three crore more than Rs 19.24 crore the mountain railway had earned in 2022-2023.
In 2022-2023, 1.56 lakh passengers had availed themselves of toy trains while the figure was 1.81 lakh in the last fiscal.
“The data clearly show that more and more people are attracted to the toy train. We hope a new record will be set in the current financial year (2024-2025). In the first month of the current fiscal, the response is encouraging as hundreds of tourists are swarming in the hills to enjoy the pleasant weather and many of them are taking toy train rides,” DHR director A.K. Mishra said.
A journey on a toy train that negotiates through the sharp bends, with panoramic views of the mountains and lush green tea estates, is a major attraction for tourists. Most of them avail themselves of Joy Rides conducted between Darjeeling and Ghoom stations, which are 12km apart. As of now, the DHR runs eight Joy Rides and two regular services between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.
“Because of the lack of locomotives, we could not introduce more new services for tourists. We have been trying to get at least three new diesel locos which will be built at the Northeast Railway’s workshop at New Bongaigaon in Assam,” said a source.
The locos are likely to be commissioned by the end of this year.
