NARROW OR METER GAUGE TRAIN JOURNEYS IN INDIA

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Namaste! With the pandemic slowly ebbing away and various nations across the world racing to reopen borders again, the hope of travel resuming soon is shining bright. Recognized with the “Safe Travel Stamp”, from WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), our team is fully geared up & excited to receive your esteemed guests in India soon.

We are aligned with the ‘Safe Travel Protocols’, adhering to our responsibilities as a responsible tour operator and have adopted all health and hygiene global standardized protocols.

Meanwhile, we believe that our past editions of TravNama intrigued you as much as they did to us while writing about it! The deeper we dig into the culture of India and its aspects the feeling of sharing the interesting facts grows. So here we are, with one more edition that focuses on “NARROW OR METER GAUGE TRAIN JOURNEYS IN INDIA”.

Indian Railways is one of the largest rail networks of the world, connecting people across all nooks and corners of the culturally and topographically diverse country. It is a known fact, that the essence of nature, culture, or surroundings can best be absorbed when we travel slowly. A joy ride, on the slow-moving narrow or meter gauge trains in India are a fantastic way of absorbing the beauty of the surroundings as it traverses through the slopes of the hills, bridges, tunnels, villages, and diverse terrains.


Here are some interesting narrow or meter gauge rail journeys that one should not miss out while on a trip to India:

THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY:

Nicknamed as Toy train, the Darjeeling Himalayan railway was the first to get UNESCO World Heritage accreditation as ‘Mountain Railways of India’. The railway track running parallel along the hill cart road and sometimes even crisscrossing it is an engineering marvel and one could not stop admiring this unique feature. You won't be surprised to know that due to this feature it is listed as a UNESCO World heritage site.

A joy ride on this narrow gauge train offers unique experiences. It traverses through the mountains & valleys, tea gardens, and local villages thus leaving one mesmerized with countless breath-taking views. Commissioned in 1881, the original route of the train was laid out from Siliguri station (now replaced by the nearby New Jalpaiguri Station) at an elevation of 100m, passing through many small stations and goes up to 2258m at Ghoom, which is the highest railway station in India.

The mighty fort is known for its brilliant architecture and engineering. To exemplify one such extra ordinary feat is its acoustic system, wherein a sound of clap at the entrance of the fort reaches up to 01 km away to the highest point.

It is not only the elevation which thrills but 04 loops and 04 ‘Z’ (zigzag) reverses in the railway line add to the charm. For the joy ride a short journey of approx. 40 minutes is now offered between Darjeeling – Ghoom – Darjeeling. Watch a video on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

INTERESTING FACT: Indian Railways is the world’s fourth largest railway network with a total route length of 126,511 km (78,610 mi). Around 13 million people commute by railways on daily basis in India.

THE NILGIRI MOUNTAIN RAILWAY:

One of the steepest of all rail systems, not only in India but Asia as well, the construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railways was initially proposed in 1854. But due to the operational challenges the work started in 1891 to be completed in 1908. The railway line scales from 326m to 2,203m elevation chugging through dense forests, rocky terrain, and misty hilltops of the Nilgiris hills aka Blue Mountains.

A ride on this meter gauge train listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site under Mountain Railways of India lets one to soak in the views of incredible landscapes, misty mountains, small water streams, eucalyptus forests, tea plantations, thick foliage and farmlands.

This ride of around 46 kms between Mettupalayam and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) passes through 16 tunnels, 250 bridges, and 208 curves, making each moment cherishable.

The journey can be enjoyed either uphill (approx. 5 hrs) or downhill (approx. 3.5 hrs), with enough stops to capture the moments and absorb the surroundings. A shorter journey is also possible that starts from Coonoor (instead of Mettupalayam) with a journey time of approx. 1.5 hrs. Take a glimpse of Nilgiri Mountain railway in this video.

KALKA SHIMLA RAILWAY:

Kalka Shimla Railway is another engineering marvel, which bagged the accreditation of a UNESCO World Heritage site under ‘Mountain Railways of India’. The picturesque single track working rail link was built in the mid 19th century to improve connectivity to the highland town of Shimla, a hill city that was once the summer residence of the British government.

The 96 km stretch between Kalka and Shimla takes around five and a half hours, passing through 103 tunnels and over 850 bridges. A scenic ride on this narrow-gauge train reaches an elevation of 2205m (Shimla) from 656m (Kalka), making way through valleys, arched bridges, picturesque stations and long tunnels.

INTERESTING FACT: The highest railway bridge of the world is being constructed on Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. Spanning 359m above the Chenab river bed in the Himalayas, it will be 35m higher than the Eiffel Tower in France.

MATHERAN LIGHT RAILWAY:

Matheran, an eco-sensitive region, is Asia's only automobile free hill station. Matheran toy train takes one to this beautiful pollution-free settlement covering a narrow-gauge track of approx. 21 km. The railway line, started in 1907, has a horseshoe barrier, which is its unique feature.

A two-hour journey starts from Neral station (39m) near Mumbai. The train crawls zigzag on the steep track through a picturesque route with grassy slopes, sharp curves, tree-covered hills, a tunnel, few panorama points, finally culminating at Matheran, lying at an elevation of 800m in the Sahaydri range.

KANGRA VALLEY RAILWAY:

A great example of outstanding hill passenger railways of India, Kangra valley railway also known as Kangra toy train, was initially commissioned for freight traffic in 1928 and later converted to passenger railway service in 1929. It covers a scenic stretch of approx. 163 km, passing through uniquely designed 971 bridges and 02 tunnels.

During a ride on this scenic train journey one can enjoy glancing at snow-clad mountains, quaint villages, pine tree forests, gold green fields and many more mesmerizing sights.

The tracks climbing from 331m in Pathankot (Punjab) to 1189m at Joginder Nagar station (Himachal Pradesh) with a highest elevation of 1291m at en-route station Ahju, takes one to Kangra valley. Located in the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas, Kangra valley is known for its nature and ancient Hindu shrines, which makes the train popular among the pilgrims and tourists.

COUNTRY SIDE TRAIN RIDE (BETWEEN KAMLIGHAT TO PHULAD):

This meter gauge train in Rajasthan is known for remarkable views of rustic countryside. It is operating since 1930 in the rugged terrain between Udaipur and Marwar (covering a distance of approx. 200 km), but the stretch between Kamlighat and Phulad (21 kms) is the main draw here.

The two-hour journey from Phulad to Kamlighat or vice versa takes one through a very scenic landscape with panoramic views, scrub jungle, hills, tunnels, bridges, and quaint one-man stations. Despite its snail pace, the train is a lifeline to many local villagers, thus giving tourists a chance to interact with those villagers and to know about their culture.

It's very likely to spot a shepherd travelling with his sheep or goats, milkman carrying his wares to customers etc. on the train. During the train journey one can witness the rustic rural lifestyle of Indian villagers and enjoy the panoramic views of the nature.

The above are some of the outstanding examples of the meter gauge and earliest hill passenger railways in India. All of them are engineering marvels and fully operational with most of their original features intact. They provide spectacular panoramic views to travellers as well as act as a regular mode of transportation for the local travellers. Come and experience these unique journeys with us! We, at Indo Asia Tours, are all about the handcrafted tours, memories, and moments you take out of your trip, and believe us, this escapade will be a life-changing one!