Glitzy toy trains to make rides more joyous this Puja

Darjeeling: Puja vacation in the Hills is all set to get more exciting this year. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway authorities have decided to pamper tourists with a slew of services like dining coaches and charter evening services, apart from introducing additional joyrides. On Wednesday, two diesel engines arrived in Siliguri from Maharashtra. The DHR already has four diesel engines in its fleet.
The engines will start plying from September 15 along with the steam locos. "We will first inspect the new engines and conduct trial runs to ensure if they are ready. We will then put them to operation from September 15. We will now be able to provide smooth and regular services with the added diesel engines. Tour operators and other institutions will be able to charter diesel trains," said DHR area officer Narendra Mohan.
DHR plans to introduce three new round trip rides on steam engine from Darjeeling to Ghoom. Coaches have been renovated for the upcoming season. There will also be to-and-fro evening chartered trains from Darjeeling to Ghoom. The trains will have dining coaches as well. A jungle safari from Siliguri to Rongtong and back with stoppage in Sukna station will also be introduced.
Coaches have been improved and upgraded, seats have been re-structured and bigger window panes have been installed for a better view. "Often, we could not provide tickets to visitors and they would return unhappy. Our aim now is to satisfy the tourists who invest a lot to come to Darjeeling to take the toy train ride. Hence our focus is to provide better amenities and regular service," said Mohan.
Currently, DHR has 13 steams, in addition to the six diesel engines that pull 62 coaches. Some of these coaches date back to 1930s. DHR catered to 1 lakh tourists last year.
This year, their target is double the number.