Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) Heritage ride running out of steam

DARJEELING: It may have been the first railway system in India to have been accorded the World Heritage Area (WHA) status in 1999, but the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) has fallen prey to the apathy associated with running of trains across the country.

A two-hour round steam run between Darjeeling and Ghum costs Rs 240 per person but there is little that the enthusiast gets in return. There is nobody at the Darjeeling station to assist him or her to the coach. There are no guides on board to answer the queries of passengers. To make matters worse, tickets are openly sold at a premium by travel agents while railway officials look the other way.

"I paid Rs 350 for each ticket and when I reached the station, the travel agent who occupies space within the Darjeeling station premises told me that he had lost the ticket. He just gave me the PNR number and said that he would lodge an FIR with the local police," said a tourist from Tollygunge.

The family faced some trouble with the ticket checker after boarding the train as they could not produce any document. "What if the agent gets a refund for your tickets," the TC asked, much to the embarrassment of the group of tourists. The ticket checker finally agreed to allow the family on board when the head of the family, a college professor, asked her why the railways had allowed such an 'irresponsible' travel agent to do business within the railway premises.

The DHR is a Unesco World Heritage Site that came into being in 1879. It is the only steam service in the country and receives extensive support from international bodies. There was a time when services would run between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling (of 'Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu' fame). This was discontinued a few years ago due to problems with running stock, tracks and availability of good quality coal. Today, there is a steam service from Darjeeling to Ghum and back via the Batasia Loop. Larger groups can charter steam runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.

Given the kind of patronage that the DHR receives from foreigners and domestic tourists alike, a lot is left to be desired so far as services are concerned. Passengers are left to fend for themselves once they reach Darjeeling station. The railway employees present are busy shunting the coaches into place and getting the small steam locomotive ready for the trip. "Don't worry, we won't leave without you," is their favourite refrain.

What they fail to realize is that it can be a torment to spend more than a few minutes at Darjeeling station where even the basic amenities are missing. One has to plead with the railway officials present to get the waiting room unlocked to access the toilets. It is another matter altogether that the facilities attached to the waiting room are in extremely bad shape. It is anybody's guess when the toilets were cleaned for the last time. Chairs are scattered around the waiting room and it is clear that passengers are not encouraged to use it. And all this, a day after railways minister Dinesh Trivedi paid a visit to Darjeeling.

While the DHR management is keen to promote the steam run as a heritage one, officials assume that the tourists would know everything about the history of this railway. "I wonder why they can't provide some material on the DHR. How can they assume that everybody knows about the history of this railway," a foreign tourist pointed out.

Once the coaches and steam locomotive are in place, tourists are asked to board. While there are some coaches that have numbered seats, there are others without any numbers. "Just use your common sense to occupy your seats," a ticket checker says. When pointed out that no amount of common sense would help one find the seats, she says: "What can I do? I have asked the management several times to number the seats, but nobody cares."
TOI