World Heritage 'DHR Joy Rides' to resume services from Christmas

Darjeeling: There is good tiding for the Queen of the Hills, this Christmas. The world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Services will be resuming services from December 25.

The DHR services had stopped owing to the lockdown from the end of March this year. However with the unlock process, the NFR Railways had written to the transport department of the Government of West Bengal for permission to resume services.

Travel and Trade organizations had written to the West Bengal Government requesting for the DHR services to be resumed, DHR being a major tourist attraction of Darjeeling.

"With permission received from the Government of West Bengal to resume Joy Ride train services, the NFR has decided to restart some of the services from December 25. Depending on the requirement of the tourists more such services will be resumed" stated Subhanan Chanda, Chief Public Relation Officer, NFR.

Three Joy Rides will resume services initially. "The Joy Rides will run from Darjeeling to Ghum and back with a 10 minute stoppage at Batasia Loop and 20 minute stoppage at Ghum for passengers to visit the Ghum Railway museum" stated AK Mishra, Director, DHR.

The three services include Steam loco charging Rs. 1500 per passenger at 9:25 am; Diesel loco charging Rs. 1000 per passenger at 12 noon and Steam loco charging Rs. 1600 with vista Dome coaches at 13:50 pm daily.

In the year 1879 work first started on the DHR, then called the Darjeeling Steam Tramways. The DHR was inscribed as a world heritage site on December 2, 1999.