Fare hike for toy trains - Popular Darjeeling-Ghoom two-way ride to cost almost triple

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 19: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has increased fares of all its tourist rides and some commuter train fares for the world heritage train service's "sustainability".

The new fare chart put up yesterday by the DHR showed that the most popular Darjeeling-Ghoom two-way tourist ride would cost nearly three times more - from Rs 400 to Rs 1,165 - on a steam train. (See chart)

The steam train rides cost more as these engines, the heritage symbol of the 134-year-old service, require more maintenance than the diesel ones.

The fare hike was made after five years.

Although the DHR has mentioned new fares for charter train rides from Darjeeling to Siliguri, this service is currently not available because of a cave-in on NH55.

The NH55, parallel to which the toy train track runs, had caved in at Tindharia in 2011 and 2012 during landslides and is yet to be repaired.

Of late, derailings and at least one brake failure, which led to a tourist's death, were reported.

On January 26, a toy train on a jungle safari ride that was returning to Siliguri from near Tindharia started rolling down the hills unchecked as its brake failed.

An alert tourist turned an emergency brake wheel in one of the coaches and stopped the train, but by then a Calcutta lady, who had either jumped out in panic or fallen off, died on the side of the tracks.

On January 28, a DHR engine derailed near Tung in the hills.

The accidents raised questions about the maintenance of the trains and the tracks.

#Narendra Mohan, the area officer of DHR, said: "The increase in the fares is for sustainability of the DHR and also to give value to the steam ride. Earlier, we were charging Rs 400 for both the diesel and steam rides. Previously, we had not said the joy rides would only be pulled by steam engines. It could also have been pulled by diesel. By changing the rates, we are committed to providing steam engines to particular rides. Earlier, there was no guaranteed service by a steam engine," Mohan said.

Asked about the DHR's financial status, Mohan could not give details.

The only segment for which the DHR has not hiked fares is the first-class commuter service. From Darjeeling to Ghoom, the first-class fare will stay at Rs 140, till Sonada Rs 170, till Tung Rs 180 and Kurseong Rs 210.

Tour operators, however, said the fare increase should have been accompanied by better services like passenger toilets in all stations.

Pradip Lama, the secretary of the Darjeeling Association of Travel Agents, said: "For a roughly 16km ride (Darjeeling-Ghoom-Darjeeling), tourists will now have to pay Rs 1,165 and it's probably the most expensive ride in the country now. The most important issue is that the services offered are not worth the revision."

He said there were derailings, and trains "are dirty and there are no toilets for passengers in most of the stations. The hike will only discourage tourists from taking the rides."

The DHR has said the 8am joy ride will be pulled by a diesel engine, while steam engines will be used for the joy rides at 10.40am, 1.20pm and 4.05pm.

Told about the complaints about services, Mohan said: "We are maintaining a nearly 150-year-old service and running it. What more should we provide?"

The DHR was started in 1881.

Asked about the toilets, Mohan said the DHR would soon start pay toilets at Darjeeling and Ghoom stations.

Asked why the hike in the rates for the steam joy rides was much more than the increase in the fare for the diesel-pulled rides, Mohan said: "The cost of running the steam engines is much higher. The cost is not only about how much coal or diesel a train burns. It is about labour, infrastructure maintenance and engineering investments."

A DHR coach can carry between 26 and 28 passengers. Usually two DHR coaches are attached to a steam engine, while a diesel engine at times hauls three coaches.

"Actually the rates are not very high. If trains are chartered, the rates will be less vis-à-vis the distance," said Mohan.

The official was trying to explain that if an entire train is chartered from Kurseong to Darjeeling by a group of 50 tourists, then at the present rate of Rs 55,000, each tourist would only be paying Rs 1,100.

Mohan said he had come to Darjeeling yesterday to get a feedback from the passengers. "Of the 70 people who had booked for a ride yesterday, there were only two cancellations," he said.

Zahid Hassan, a tourist from Bangladesh, said: "I do not know about the earlier fare or the ride but I think for the amount they are charging, one should be given food during the trip."