Toy train services to resume in June

On revival route

Siliguri, May 2,TT: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway authorities are hopeful that the restoration of the tracks along NH55 will be completed by mid-June and services on the Siliguri-Kurseong route can be resumed soon after that.

“We have started shifting construction material to the site and are ready to start work provided the state public works department gives us the green signal to go ahead. It will take us around a month and the Siliguri-Kurseong stretch should be operational by June end if we are able to start the work by mid-May,” said DHR director P.P. Roy.

The daily DHR services between Siliguri and Kurseong had been stalled after a 475-meter long stretch of NH55 was damaged in a landslide at the 14th Mile near Paglajhora, 35 km from here, on June 16 last year.

The toy train track that runs parallel to the road was also damaged in the mudslide and the services on the route were stalled.

Only the Kurseong-Darjeeling service and the joy rides between Ghoom and Darjeeling were operating after the landslide.

“Although the monsoon begins in the region by mid-May we have set a target to complete the track restoration by the end of June before the heavy rainfall sets in. Landslides are a perennial problem during the monsoon and the damaged stretch has always been prone to landslides. But intensive work has been undertaken to strengthen the zone in order to prevent such natural calamities in the future,” a DHR official said.

According to the PWD officials, the work of strengthening the highway is on and the road was opened for lightweight vehicles on April 14.

“There is still some work left to be completed on the road before we can allow the DHR to start the restoration of the tracks and that will take us another fortnight. A joint inspection of the site needs to be conducted and a meeting has to be convened with the hill railway authorities before they start work. The state PWD will simultaneously carry out the work of strengthening the damaged portion of the highway,” said Nirmal Mondal, executive engineer (NH division) of the PWD.