Top of the line
Darjeeling station (code DJ) stands on Hill Cart Road at 2,073 metres, the end of one of the most famous railway journeys in the world. Here the little blue trains of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) finish their climb from the plains, and steam engines are turned and watered for their next trip. The station belongs to the Northeast Frontier Railway under the Katihar division and has 2 platforms on 4 tracks.
Building the toy train
The idea came from Franklin Prestage, an agent of the Eastern Bengal Railway, who proposed a steam tramway up the existing hill cart road. Construction ran from 1879 to 1881:
- 23 August 1880: the line opens from Siliguri to Kurseong.
- 4 July 1881: the full line from Siliguri to Darjeeling opens.
- 1919: the Batasia Loop is built below Ghum.
- 5 December 1999: UNESCO declares the DHR a World Heritage Site, later extended to include the Nilgiri and Kalka–Shimla lines as the Mountain Railways of India.
How a tiny train climbs a mountain
The DHR uses a gauge of just 2 ft (610 mm) and runs about 88 km from New Jalpaiguri, climbing from about 100 metres to over 2,200 metres. Instead of a rack, it gains height with tight curves, six zig-zag reverses and three loops (originally five), the most famous being the Batasia Loop. Its classic B-class steam locomotives were built between 1889 and 1925 by Sharp, Stewart and Company and the North British Locomotive Company, and some still work the line.
Trains from Darjeeling
- Joy rides to Ghum and back, hauled by steam or diesel, passing the Batasia Loop
- Narrow-gauge passenger trains to Kurseong
- Through trains down to New Jalpaiguri
Seasonal timetables and joy-ride slots are listed in our timetable search; book ahead in peak season.
Around the station
- The Mall and Chowrasta are a steep walk uphill.
- Tiger Hill, for sunrise over Kanchenjunga, is reached by road via Ghum.