The toy train service of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) is all set to make another record in the footfall of passengers in October this year when thousands of tourists pour into the hills, said authorities of the heritage railway service.

“For the entire month of October, all tickets for the regular service between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling have been booked by travel enthusiasts. Only a few tickets are left for the down train (the one that leaves for NJP from Darjeeling every day). The trend in booking suggests a steady inflow of passengers in the toy train during the upcoming months,” said an official of DHR.

In all, there are 32 seats in each of these two trains.

The official added that in the summer season this year, that is, during April, May and June, thousands of passengers have availed toy train rides.

In April, 12,345 passengers boarded a toy train, yielding Rs 1.53 crore as revenue for the DHR. In May and June, passengers and revenue were 26,909 and Rs 3.19 crore, and 23,511 and Rs 2.74 crore, respectively.

“We expect the number of passengers to rise in October. Also, after the pandemic, the total number of passengers in the current fiscal year is likely to be over one lakh,” the official added.

Back in 1999, the DHR was conferred world heritage status by Unesco. It is considered as one of the major attractions for thousands of tourists who visit Darjeeling every year.

Along with two regular services, the DHR also runs eight daily joy rides, most popular among tourists, between Darjeeling and Ghoom.

More trains

The Northeast Frontier Railway will continue running a weekly special train between Dibrugarh and Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bangalore to cope with the extra rush. The train, in its extended run from August 2 to October 28, will leave Dibrugarh every Tuesday and will depart from the SMVT every Friday.

Another weekly special train will run between Secunderabad and Agartala from August 15 to September 30. From Secunderabad, it will leave every Monday while from Agartala depart every Friday.

“These trains will fulfil the travel needs for the people of upper Assam, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Barak Valley who intend to travel to south India,” said a railway official.