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Hill Trains
The Indian Railways offer some of the most
spectacular rail journeys in the world. Rising from the foothills and
climbing up the mighty Himalayas or the Western Ghats, these journeys are as
enchanting as the destinations they travel to. |
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HILL TRAINS |
Ootacmund (Ooty)
Kalka - Shimla
Darjelling |
THE OOTACAMUND
RAILWAY - Mettapalayam to Ootacamund
The narrow-gauge track of the
Nilgiri's toy-train twists up through lush green coffee and
tea-plantations of the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. This enchanting
journey takes close to five hours to cover the 45 kms from Mettupalayam
to Ootacamund (Ooty) crossing 250 bridges in enthralling scenery.
Winding its way through the hills, this railway runs with a central
track that engages to prevent downward slides.
The schedule for this train is as
follows:
(these timings are subject to change without notice)
Dep Mettupalayam 0710
Hrs - Arr Ootacamund 1200 Hrs. (Daily)
Dep Ootacamund 1500 Hrs - Arr Mettupalayam 1835 Hrs. (Daily)
This train journey can be experienced
if one is travelling to Southern India visiting the states of Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The recommended routing would be - Bangalore ;
Hassan ; Mysore ; Ooty ; Cochin - While the entire tour would be done by
road, the train journey can be experienced while visiting Ooty. While
leaving from Ooty, one can travel to Conoor for a short, 1 hour,
enthralling experience on this train and then continue to drive onward
to your final destination from Conoor to Cochin or vice versa. You can
also chose to take the full 5 hour journey from Ooty to Mettupalayam and
then continue to Cochin or vice versa.
THE HIMACHAL TRAIL - Kalka to Shimla
Shimla was the summer capital of the
British Raj and even today retains much of its old charm and grandeur,
which can be seen in the many colonial buildings.
The narrow-gauge track from Kalka to Shimla rising into the Himalayas is
another of India's engineering wonders, built in 1903. It takes six
hours to cover 96km, rising from 650m at Kalka to a height of 2100m at
the hill-station of Shimla. The views of valleys and gorges are
magnificent and the scenery is breathtaking. The train passes through
nearly 100 tunnels during this journey, making it a memorable
experience. While there is a local passenger train, which takes about 7
hours from Kalka to Shimla, it is recommended that one travels on the
Deluxe Shivalik Express which takes around 5 hours.
The schedule for the
Shivalik Express is as follows:
(the timings are subject to change without notice)
Dep Kalka 0530 Hrs &
Arr Shimla 1015 Hrs. (Daily).
Dep Kalka 1205 Hrs & Arr Shimla 1720 Hrs. (Daily).
Dep Shimla 1040 Hrs & Arr Kalka 1605 Hrs. (Daily).
Dep Shimla 1730 Hrs & Arr Kalka 2215 Hrs. (Daily).
Shimla is a destination, on its own,
and can be included as an extension to any programme, which terminates
or commences in Delhi. One can travel from Delhi to Kalka by road
(around 7 hours) and then connect the toy train to Shimla. Alternatively
one can also take the overnight train from Delhi to Kalka (around 8 hrs)
and then connect the train to Shimla. For adventure lovers, Shimla can
also be included as a 1 or 2 night stop, while travelling from Delhi all
the way up to Ladakh through Manali.The routing in this case would be -
Delhi ; Shimla ; Manali ; Jispa : Sarchu ; Leh
DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY - New Jalpaiguri to
Darjeeling
Darjeeling was also a summer
retreat of the British Raj and is today one of the best known hill
stations in the East - famous for its magnificient views of the mighty
Kanchenjunga mountain ranges.
Very recently awarded a heritage status, the Darjeeling Himalayan
Railway is arguably one of the greatest train rides in the world. This
original toy train, as it is popularly called, travels through villages
and small towns where school children walk and run along side, sometimes
hopping on and off at will. Historically this is the first hill track,
laid down nearly a century ago, and boasts of the oldest steam engine in
the world which is still in use on very special occasions. It climbs
from just 500 feet at New Jaipaiguri right upto 7,407 feet at Ghoom,
which is the highest station, just before Darjeeling main station
The schedule for this
train is as follows:
(the timings are subject to change without notice)
Dep New Jalpaiguri 0900 Hrs- Arr Darjeeling 1715 Hrs. (Daily)
Dep Darjeeling 0825 Hrs - Arr New Jalpaiguri 1620 Hrs. (Daily)
As the timings
signify, the entire journey takes more than 8 hours and is therefore
more of an individual tourist experience in itself, rather than just a
train journey from one point to another. This train journey is best
experienced for a short ride, hopping on and off midway, while the car
follows to pick you up from the station where you alight. The
recommended routing, during which this train journey can be experienced
would be - Kolkatta ; Darjeeling ; Gangtok ; Kalimpong ; Kolkatta - the
trip can be further extended into Bhutan for 4/5 days from Kalimpong. |
