A Discourse on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Exploring the Historical Significance and Tourism Impact of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Abstract

The Darjeeling- Himalayan Railway also recognized as the “Toy Train”. It is a 2 feet (610 mm) narrow gauge railway line, which runs around 86 kilometers between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the district of West Bengal under NF Railway. In 1999, UNESCO proclaimed the century-old train as a World Heritage site. Construction of DHR began in 1879 and was fully operational in 1981. The peak ranges from 100 meters in New Jalpaiguri (328 ft) to about 2,200 meters in Darjeeling (7,218 ft). Any tourist's lifetime experience will be a trip from Siliguri to Darjeeling (around 7 hrs journey) or a pleasure ride in Darjeeling. In this paper a narrative approach will be presented regarding the characteristics of DHR and its impact towards the tourism point of view. The methodology used in this paper is developed through a vibrant interplay of research topics, theory, experience, dialog, and perception.