After 6 months, Darjeeling's iconic toy train resumes operations

Darjeeling: After nearly six months, the World Heritage Darjeeling Himalayan services from New Jalpaiguri station to Darjeeling resumed on Friday. "Services resumed on Friday. As of now there will be one service from NJP to Darjeeling and another from Darjeeling to NJP. The train from

NJP will depart at 8:30 am and the one from Darjeeling will depart at 8 am. There were problems with the tracks. At some places, there were damages owing to landslides and at some places there were weeds and heavy undergrowth. All these problems have been sorted out and the tracks are fit for the service to resume," stated Tapan Kumar Saha, Station Manager, NJP.

On Friday, seven passengers undertook the 87 km journey from NJP to Darjeeling. "This is our first trip to Darjeeling. We had booked online as we saw on the site that the service was to resume from December 15. We are very excited about the trip," stated Ranjit Shinde from Delhi. "It will send a signal of normality in the Hills. We hope that tourists start visiting again," stated Goutam Deb, Bengal Tourism minister. With the Gorkhaland agitation, DHR service had been halted from June 11. The GJM had called for an indefinite bandh of all government offices from the first week of June followed by an indefinite general strike from June 15.

The bandh lasted for 104 days. Though it was lifted

on September 27, DHR services could not resume in the Hills owing to the condition of the tracks.