Darjeeling Himalayan Railway revives old-world charm with wagon service on tracks
Telegraph | 5 April 2026
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has reintroduced wagon services on the mountain tracks in a bid to revive the DHR's old-world charm, decades after they were discontinued.
“We would like to showcase the glorious past of the DHR, when steam locomotives hauled goods wagons alongside passenger services. The symbolic service was introduced this month after reviving two wagons at the Tindharia railway workshop,” DHR director Rishabh Choudhary said on Saturday.
Sources said DHR officials had participated in the South Asian Tour and Travel Enterprise — one of the largest tourism marts — in New Delhi in February. At the mart, the DHR promoted the wagons, and the service was widely appreciated by attendees, who even made bookings for it.
DHR officials said individuals or small groups of enthusiasts could charter the wagon service. A steam locomotive will haul two empty goods wagons, apart from an open-air coach that can accommodate 10 to 15 passengers.
Wagons hauled by steam engines along the winding hill tracks were a familiar sight in the Darjeeling hills until the service was withdrawn in the 1990s after it faced stiff competition from road transport.
An attempt was made to revive the wagon services in 2011, but it didn't succeed.
The officials said the latest initiative was conceived to recreate the railway’s “old glory” through curated charter experiences. A group of German tourists availed the service between April 1 and 3 on short stretches of Tindharia–Rongtong, Kurseong–Darjeeling and Ghoom–Darjeeling.
The rate to charter the services is around ₹50,000.
The two wagons, built in the 1940s, were refurbished at the Tindharia workshop and are hauled by a steam locomotive manufactured in 1925. “Our main objective is to restore and showcase the heritage of the century-old railway. The initial response has been encouraging, with bookings for April and May. We have three more wagons at Tindharia, which can be revived depending on demand,” the director said.