360 Degree viewable DHR coming to Darjeeling!

New Delhi : India's very own version of the world famous panorama railways — Britain's Ffestiniog Railway and Switzerland's Brienz Rothom Bahn — is all set to chug out. To commemorate the 127th anniversary of Darjeeling Heritage Train's inaugural journey on August 23, 1880, India will roll out its first ever Shatabdi with a transparent roof.

The five-coach train, inspired by the Swiss panorama railways and specially designed to provide a real treat for tourists wanting to enjoy a 360 degree view of Darjeeling's pristine beauty, will initially run between New Jalpaiguri and Kurseong.

Tentatively called The Hill Princess, the train will cover the 40-km journey in three hours. Once the entire 90-km stretch of narrow gauge track is repaired, the train will run till Darjeeling. The journey will take six hours. Speaking to TOI, Rajesh Agrawal, executive director (heritage) in the railway ministry, said the new Shatabdi will have three improved features — better interiors, an in-house entertainment system and a fully transparent roof with larger side windows for a free view of the surroundings.

Agrawal said, "The design of this Shatabdi has been inspired greatly by the Swiss panorama railways. At present, tourists and daily passengers experience a rickety back-breaking ride from NJP-Kurseong. Now, they will truly enjoy this breathtaking journey while relaxing on their reclining seats and munching on snacks." The see-through roof has been made with scratch-proof polycarbonate sheet at the famous Kurduwadi rail workshop, located between Pune and Sholapur.

G Ravisudhan, works manager of Kurduwadi, told TOI, "This narrow gauge train will be the first to use the more powerful air brake system in place of the present-day vacuum brakes. The wide vision windows on the side will be 1 metre instead of the present day .7 metres."

Chief mechanical officer of North-East Frontier Railways V K Jha said, "We have already received two coaches from the workshop and are waiting for the other three. The first class will have 16 seats while the second class will accommodate 32 people."

According to Agrawal, the new Shatabdi will ply on the same 2 feet narrow gauge used by the DHR at present. It will start from NJP at an elevation of 100 metres and climb to 2,200 metres at Darjeeling.

Though the train will pass through all the 14 stations, it will only stop once at Kurseong. "We wanted a non-stop service from NJP-Darjeeling. Track timings are therefore being worked out in such a manner that when the two trains cross, DHR will wait and let the Shatabdi pass," Agrawal added. DHR was declared a world heritage site by Unesco in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it at that time, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998.

Source: The Times of India