PTI, DARJEELING, MAY 18, 2024 : The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway will introduce two additional joy ride services to cater to the increased flow of tourists to the hills station. The DHR is already operating eight joy rides on the popular toy train.
Meandering through narrow roads with houses on both sides of the road, the joy ride covers a distance of 16 km from Darjeeling to Ghoom and back and is one of the most sought after tourist activities.
Station Master of Darjeeling Suman Pradhan said tourists were facing difficulty in purchasing tickets from the counter due to the rush.
“There is huge rush and demand for the joy ride. Presently, we are running eight rides. We are booked till May 26. This has resulted in several tourists failing to take the ride. Therefore, we have decided to introduce two more joy rides to cater to the demand,” he said.
Pradhan said the two new joy rides will be on diesel engines and will operate at 11.25 a.m and 1.25 p.m.
“One of the main reasons people come to Darjeeling is to take the joy ride. If we see more demand for the joy ride then we will introduce two more rides,” said Pradhan.
Tourists who were not getting tickets for the joy ride have welcomed the decision of the DHR to press into service additional rides.
“One of the reasons we came to Darjeeling during this time was to beat the excruciating heat back home. We heard that two joy rides were introduced today, and we are happy about it. Being a large group of 13 t5 tourists, we were not getting tickets. We wanted to enjoy the joy ride together and we finally got a chance,” Karthick Ghosh, a tourist from Kolkata, said.
Moumita Ghosh, also from Kolkata, said: “This is the first time I will be taking a ride in the toy train and this was possible only due to the additional two rides being started. Looking at the large crowd here I feel they will have to introduce more joy rides.”
The 16 km joy ride meanders through the roads of Darjeeling passing the shops and houses along the way.
The ride also passes through the Batasia War Memorial where a short break is made with another break made at the Ghoom Railway Station which is the highest railway station in Asia. Visitors can also take a tour of the DHR museum before the return trip back to Darjeeling.