Northeast Frontier Railway slashes number of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Joy Ride services

Darjeeling: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has slashed the number of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) joyride services from July 20 to August 31, 2023, in view of the ongoing rainy season.

“In view of the ongoing rainy season in Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) section of NF Railway, services of few joy ride trains will remain cancelled,” informed Sabyashi De, Chief Public Relations Officer, NFR. Train numbers 52594, 52598, 52544 (Steam Joy Ride) and 52597 (Diesel Joy Ride) will remain cancelled during the period.

At present, 8 Joy Ride services of the DHR were operating between Darjeeling and Ghoom. With the cancellation of the above mentioned services, four will continue to run. The four include three diesel services and one steam.

The DHR Joy Ride services are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Darjeeling. It is extremely popular among the foreign tourists. During peak tourist season, the services run packed to capacity. The NFR usually increases the number of services during tourist rush. During the rainy season, the number of tourists dip considerably and it is considered a lean season. Demands for the Joy Rides also go down considerably, hence it is not economically viable to run the same number of trains, stated a source.

The 16 km joyride starts from Darjeeling Railway station to Ghoom and back with stoppages at the famous Batasia Loop and Ghoom Railway museum. At present the joy rides cost Rs 1,600 per passenger for vista dome coach, Rs 1,500 for steam service and Rs 1,000 for diesel service. The narrow gauge DHR that runs from Darjeeling to New Jalpaiguri was inscribed a World Heritage site on December 2, 1999 by UNESCO.