Darjeeling Himalayan Railway To Launch Joyride Services From October 1 Ahead Of Durga Puja

The UNESCO heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is gearing up to run special joyride services for tourists during the upcoming Durga Puja festivities. On Tuesday, an official announcement confirmed that the services will start from October 1, days ahead of the Durga Puja. 

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The special rides will include multiple single and round-trip joyrides. According to official confirmation, four single-trip joyride services will take place between Darjeeling and Ghum, whereas two round-trip joyrides will run between Kurseong and Mahanadi. One of the round-trip services is being named “Mukta Dhara", as a tribute to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose celebrated 1922 play Mukta Dhara is associated with the scenic beauty of the Paglajhora stream that passes through the area. 

As per the PTI report, DHR official Prateeksha Chetri made an official statement, where she said, “On the occasion of the upcoming Durga Puja festival season, DHR will introduce special additional joyride services to provide tourists and visitors with more opportunities to experience the heritage railway and the scenic beauty of the Darjeeling hills.”

She further revealed that the Darjeeling-Ghum single-trip joyrides will be operated by diesel-hauled trains with a proposed fare set at Rs 800. These trains will leave Darjeeling for Ghum at 9:20 AM and 11:25 AM, while trains will depart from Ghum at 10:25 AM and 12:30 PM.

Additionally, one of the Kurseong-Mahanadi round-trips will be run with steam engines and has been named “Red Panda". The proposed fare for this round-trip train has been set at Rs 1,530. This train will leave Kurseong at 9 AM and depart from Mahanadi at 10 AM. 

The other round-trip train, named “Mukta Dhara", will be diesel-operated and will cost Rs 1,030. It will leave Kurseong at 3:15 PM and Mahanadi at 4 PM. 

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The DHR official stated, “With these special services, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway aims to add a distinctive heritage experience to the Durga Puja festive season, allowing visitors to enjoy the region's historic railway, steam heritage, landscapes and cultural legacy.”

Ahead of the proposed launch date, a special run of "Mukta Dhara" will be organised at Mahanadi Railway Station towards the end of September as part of events preceding the Station Mahotsav.