Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR)

The toy train on the Darjeeling Himalayan section is not merely a source of delight for the young and old, it also represents the engineering skills of the highest order. This 83 km. long section connecting Darjeeling with the railhead at Siliguri is of great importance and has been bestowed World Heritage Site status. The railway line from Siliguri to the beautiful hill section of Darjeeling is considered an engineering feat and passes through very picturesque country.

The railway line is laid more or less on the same alignment as the Hill Cart road, which criss-crosses the line at several locations. The line between Sukna and Darjeeling is almost all along located on the road-bench wither skirting or on the far edge of the road except at a few locations where the road and rail formations are on different level and follow a different alignment. Out of a total of 87.48 km., 64 kms. are on the same road bench. The actual climb starts from Sukna encountering steep gradients and curves all the way long. There are some peculiar features to be marked during the journey. The train passes through dense forest from Sukna and it chugs along the hill slopes and at places where a clear path is not available. The climb is through reverse and loops. There are 5 such reverses, 3 loops, the most famous being the BATASIA LOOP between Ghum and Darjeeling. Apart from this, the section has 5 major, 498 minor bridges and 177 unmanned level crossings. There are 13 stations including New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling with an average inter distance of 6 to 7 km. Except between Siliguri and Sukna where the distance is over 10 km., Ghum station is the second highest railway station in the world to be reached by steam locomotive.

For more information please visit http://www.dhr.indianrailways.gov.in orhttp://www.railtourismindia.com

Train Services and Time Table

Joy Ride is between Darjeeling-Ghum-Darjeeling, Round trip is about 2 Hours

Sukna Special is between Siliguri-Sukna-Siliguri, Round Trip is about 2 hours
Jungle Safari  (Up to Rongtong arrival at 11:15 Hrs and departure at 14:35 Hrs and back to Siliguri at 15:55 HRS daily service.Advance booking facality available at Siliguri UTS.)

Please note:  Please check the site for announcements. Sukna Special is on demand only. It is booked by local tour operators or by group.

Daily Train Services

1)    DHR operates 2 pairs of Regular Trains

52545 Up. from Kurseong (KGN) departing at 15.00 hrs to Darjeeling (DJ) arriving at 17.50 hrs. 
52544 Dn. from Darjeeling (DJ) departing at 10:15 hrs to Kurseong (KGN) arriving at 13.10 hrs.
Composition: 1 First Class + 2 Second Class + 1 Second Class cum Luggage Van
Locomotive: NDM6 Type Diesel Locomotive. 

52587 Up from Kurseong (KGN) departing at 07.00 hrs to Darjeeling (DJ) arriving at 09.45 hrs.
52588 Dn from Darjeeling (DJ) departing at 16:00 hrs to Kurseong (KGN) arriving at 18.40 hrs.
Composition: 1 First class + 1 second class + 1 second class cum luggage van.
Locomotive : NDM6 Type Diesel Locomotives.

2)    Joy Ride Trains

Joy Ride Train: This is running from Darjeeling to Ghum and back to Darjeeling with a 10 minutes stoppage at Batasia loop and 30 minutes stoppage at Ghoom Museum and the fare includes entry fee of the Ghoom Museum.
Composition : 2 First Class Coaches.
Locomotive : 'B' Class Steam Locomotives.  This is a daily service.

3)    Sukna Steam Special : This is running from Siliguri Junction to Sukna and back to Siliguri Junction with a 30 minutes stoppage at Sukna for visiting Sukna Photo Gallery.
Composition : 3 Coaches.
Locomotive : 'B' Class Steam Locomotives. This service is operated based on Tourist Demand.

4)    Jungle Safari Special: The Holiday Specials are offered daily from Siliguri Jn. To Chunbhatti and back. The Tourists can enjoy breathtaking views of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and the World Famous Z-Reverses between Sukna and Tindharia.
Composition : 2/3 Coaches
Locomotive: 'B' Class Steam or NDM6 Locomotives . This service is operated based on Tourist Demand.

** Please note that the coach composition of trains ( number and type of coaches) and type of locomotives ( Steam /Diesel) can vary depending upon technical and operational reasons and/ or tourist demand.

5)    Steam Charter Trains:

DHR offers the Chartered trains for Tourists, Travel Agencies, Corporate Houses and film shooting etc. either single trip or round trip from any station to any station. The composition and timings are flexible. The tourists can choose their own composition from a wide variety of coach types. Usually Steam Locomotives are provided for Charter Trains

Tariff Structure of DHR

Same fare applies for return directions.          

The Tariff for Darjeeling-Ghum-Darjeeling Joy Ride is INR 335/- per head.                                        
 

How do I book a ticket?

You can book ticket by simply visiting your nearest Computerized Reservation Counter in India OR you can log inwww.irctc.co.in for online booking.

If you do not have the opportunity to book, never mind, just drop in DHR station and book your ticket.

Steam Charter Trains

 Enjoy Steam Train Charter on selected sections in DHR.  Booking a Steam-Charter is very easy now. All you have to do send an e-mail at director.dhr@gmail.com to us to confirm the availability of dates. you may get in touch with our officials for payment and further details.

The current rate of Steam Charter is INR 22000 single trip INR 40000 for round trip. The composition is 2 First Class hauled by a century old B class steam locomotive. For further details please contact us at director.dhr@gmail.com.dhroffice.kurseong@gmail.com

Key officials of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways

Contact Details of Director/DHR Office:

Phone: +91 354 225 2555 / +91 354 2005 734 / +91 354 2344 700
Mob: +91 900 20 41955/ +91 900 20 41905/ +91 900 20 41521
Fax: +91 354 225 2555 / 2344 700 / +91 354 234 5253

Email: director.dhr@gmail.com / dhroffice.kurseong@gmail.com 

By Post:
Director / DHR
Elysia Building
(Near Himali Boarding School)
Kurseong, Dist. Darjeeling
West Bengal, India - 734 203

Director / DHR
Camp Office, Siliguri NG LOCO Shed
P.O. Pradhan Nagar
Siliguri Jn, Dist - Darjeeling
West Bengal, India-734003
Mob: +91 900 20 41955

Assistant Traffic Manager/DHR: +91 900 20 41521

DHR Control : +91 354 2005734, +91 943 44 29557

+91 900 20 41955/ +91 900 20 41905/ +91 900 20 41521

For details please visit at  http://www.dhr.indianrailways.gov.in  or http://www.railtourismindia.com

Additional GM (Tourism)/IRCTC/New Delhi

Ph. no. (011) 23701145, 23701101

Fax no. (011) 23701185, 23701177

e-mail:  hillcharter@irctc.com

Complaints & Suggestions:

If you have any complaint or suggestion related to Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, please contact:      

Director (Tourism & Catering), Railway Board,

Rail Bhawan, Raiseena Road, New Delhi � 110001

Ph. No. 011-23384922

Fax no. 011-23383000

Email: dctg@rb.railnet.gov.in