Toy trains with glass roof

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, 05 May 2019, Siliguri: Coaches with glass roofs and larger windows that offer passengers a panoramic view of the hills will be introduced in toy trains on the New Jalpaiguri-Darjeeling route, rail officials said on Saturday.

The "vista-dome coaches" could start rolling by Puja this year, months after the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) crossed the 1-lakh passenger milestone. Such bogies had so far been used only in chartered rides of the toy train.

"We will introduce at least four new vista-dome coaches. We expect this to happen ahead of Puja," Sumit Sarkar, divisional manager of Northeast Frontier Railway, said.

The new coaches will be built at DHR workshops in Tindharia and Siliguri Junction, like the existing ones. Each vista-dome coach can seat 28 passengers.

"As of now, we have four such coaches that are used for chartered services. We also want to introduce these coaches in joy rides (near Darjeeling town) and regular services to pull in more passengers," said an official of DHR.

In April 2018, the DHR had added air-conditioned coaches to toy trains, followed by a dining car in evening joy rides from Siliguri to Rongtong last December.

In 1999, the DHR was conferred World Heritage Status by Unesco. It is a major attraction for tourists, particularly those travelling to Darjeeling from abroad.

In recent times, the popularity of the heritage railway has grown and, for the first time in its 140-year-old history, it ferried a record one lakh riders in 2018-19.

"Tourists from abroad have enjoyed chartered rides in the evening service. Now, more vista-dome coaches will help us get more international and domestic tourists as the train rides will be more entertaining," said Partha Pratim Roy, a DHR enthusiast.

Railway sources said they were also working on conservation and maintenance of the heritage network. "There are plans to introduce more facilities and amenities for passengers. Preparation of a Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan (CCMP) for the DHR is in progress and we hope it would be ready by June this year," said a DHR official.