The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is adding six special joyride services from October 1, timed to coincide with the Durga Puja season when the hills see some of their heaviest tourist traffic. The additional runs offer shorter, more accessible ways to experience the UNESCO-listed railway without committing to the full New Jalpaiguri-Darjeeling journey.
Four single-direction diesel-hauled trips will connect Darjeeling and Ghum, departing at 9:20 am and 11:25 am from Darjeeling, with return services from Ghum at 10:25 am and 12:30 pm. Fares are set at Rs 800 per trip. The remaining two services will run as round trips between Kurseong and Mahanadi: the steam-hauled Red Panda, priced at Rs 1,530, and the diesel-operated Mukta Dhara, named after Rabindranath Tagore’s 1922 play, at Rs 1,030. A special preview run of Mukta Dhara is also planned at Mahanadi Station in late September ahead of the festive season.
Built between 1879 and 1881, the 88.48-kilometre narrow-gauge railway climbs from the foothills to over 2,200 metres using a series of zigzags and loops through the Himalayan terrain. For visitors based in Darjeeling, the Ghum services are the most straightforward addition to an existing itinerary, while the Kurseong-Mahanadi runs reward those willing to travel a little further into the hills.
