Rail board chief inspects toy train route and stations

Siliguri:

Ashwani Lohani, the chairman of Indian Railway Board, on Tuesday promised that all necessary restoration works would be taken up for preservation of the world heritage status of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR).

The chairman said he would look into possibilities of reducing toy train fares and said more second class coaches would be introduced in toy train services so that tourists as well as locals could afford the travel.

The railway official arrived at New Jalpaiguri on Tuesday morning and took a special toy train – two coaches hauled by a steam loco – to the hills.

He visited a number of stations, the DHR workshop at Tindharia, the printing press at Kurseong and also interacted with railway employees, local people and passengers of other toy train services.

“We are aware of the world heritage value of the DHR and will do all necessary work for the conservation and restoration of the DHR,” said Lohani at Sukna, from where he started his inspection.

During the statehood agitation in the hills last year, the toy train services had come to a halt in June. Also, a section of agitators had torched two stations -Tindharia and Gayabari-and damaged a portion of Elysia Building, the DHR headquarters in Kurseong.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Home> West Bengal / by Bireswar Banerjee / March 21st, 2018