ProMASS News Bureau: Aug 31, 2016: The heritage-era romance of Steam Engine-hauled narrow gauge trains through the tea plantations of Darjeeling Hills is legendary. To provide a taste of the nostalgic narrow-gauge train ride, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway at present runs six pairs of tourist trains between Darjeeling and Ghum. However, in the ensuing tourist season, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) will introduce three additional pairs of toy trains between Darjeeling and Ghum in the world-famous DHR.
With this introduction scheduled to be operational from 10th September, there will be 9 pairs of toy trains playing on the 6 km distance between Ghum and Darjeeling. NFR has recently refurbished as many as 14 narrow gauge coaches by which the seating capacity of these coaches has also been increased to as many as 28 seats from existing 12, 14 and 16-seater coaches. Such refurbishment and restoration has been very difficult because Narrow Gauge rolling stock is no longer produced and spares/component etc. are also not easily available.
Notably, preservation and conservation of this railway which has been recognized as an asset and accorded World Heritage Status by UNESCO, is a task being undertaken by NFR in right earnest. Recently, the General Manager assured the representatives of UNESCO that NFR would extend all possible help for conservation of the priceless heritage of DHR.
The Chief PRO of NFR, Pranav Jyoti Sharma informed this today in a press release.
