RailPost Bureau
November 8, 2019
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) will complete 20 years of being declared a World Heritage Railway by the UNESCO on December 5, 2019.\
The inscription on DHR by the UNESCO read “The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the first and still the most outstanding example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, it applied bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty. It is still fully operational and retains most of its original features intact.”
The DHR connects Siliguri to Darjeeling. The construction of the 2 feet (610 mm) wide gauge was started in 1879. It reached Tindharia in March, 1880 and upto Ghum in April, 1881.
The first train finally reached Darjeeling on 4th July, 1881. Initially, there were four complete loops and four Z – reverses. But today DHR has three loops and six Z-reverses offering stunning views of the Himalayas.
There are thirteen stations starting from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. Although the old narrow gauge trains of DHR used to be hauled by steam locos, today it is being hauled by both steam and diesel locos.
NFR has introduced Vistadome coaches on the DHR offering a better view of the Himalayas.