Hire a toy train for just Rs 25,000

The new year has brought good news for train enthusiasts as the first chartered trip of the prestigious Darjeeling toy train was flagged off on Thursday at Siliguri Junction.

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This was the first chartered trip of the toy train after its tariff was slashed from Rs 129,000 to Rs 25,000 for a single trip from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling to make it affordable for domestic tourists, Assistant Commercial Manager of New Jalpaiguri T N Bhattacharjee said. 

Thirty-two domestic tourists boarded four bogies of the train, run by a century-old steam engine, on January 1, 2004 to travel from Siliguri to Kurseong at a cost of Rs 17,424.

The train would halt at any place en route as demanded by the tourists. It takes six-and-half hours to cover the 38km distance up to Kurseong.