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Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Fondly called as “the Toy Train”, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) falls in the Zone of Northeast Frontier Railway. It is a 2 ft.(610 mm) narrow gauge rail that has enthralled travelers to the region since 1881.The route from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling is one of the most picturesque and breathtakingly beautiful as anywhere in the world.. As the toy train chugs up the 6,850 feet (2,090 m) from New Jalpaiguri to Sukna,(which is flat terrain) and then continues the steady ascent to Ghum (7,407 ft/2,258 m) dipping down the final 5 miles (8.0 km) to Darjeeling, it runs parallel to the Hill Cart Road through Tea Estates and displays a panoramic spectacle of the Himalayas to the passengers.
History
Envisioned in British India by the Lt. Governor of Bengal Sir Ashley Eden as a steam tramway connecting Siliguri to Dareeling, the project unfolded slowly with feasibility assessment, approvals and planning. Work started in 1878 and was completed in stages with the inauguration of the Siliguri- Darjeeling track on 4th July 1881. There were further improvements in the route as loops and reverses were added to ease gradients. The line was also extended by a quarter mile to Darjeeling Bazaar in 1886.
Overcoming natural disasters like earthquakes and cyclones, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) was carrying 174,000 passengers and 47000 tons of freight annually by 1909-1910. It also contributed effectively to the World War II by transporting military workforce and supplies to camps around the region.
In Independent India, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) became part of the Indian Railways first under Assam Railway and then part of North Eastern Railway Zone in 1952. Since 1958 it is part of Northeast Frontier Railway Zone. The line was extended to New Jalpaiguri a distance of 4 kms in 1962 that opened for freight the same year and for passengers in 1964.
In its long history, apart from the short time that it needed to recover from natural disasters, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) remained closed only once for 18 months in 1988-89 during the Gorkhaland Movement. Notwithstanding heavy losses, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) continues to give service to enthusiastic tourists and the local people because of the interest it sustains as an icon of Indian Railways.
The Tindharia Workshop has maintained thirteen of the steam locomotives some of which are more than a hundred years old.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 becoming the second railway in the world to get this honor after Semmering Railway of Austria.