Indian Railways operates trains to various hill stations in India. Travelling on them is a delightful experience, with the tiny trains passing through tunnels, over bridges, around curves and loops amid spectacular scenery. The three mentioned below are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
A DHR train on the Batasia Loop near Ghoom
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) ?Winding its way over the steep and torturous foothills of the Himalayas, the 'toy train' takes six hours to cover the 83km distance from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to Darjeeling. Completed in 1883, the railway follows the road (and mostly shares the same bed) and uses an interesting system of reverses (the trains climbs into a sliding and then goes into reverse to climb up the next section of the hill, sort of like a sideways V) and loops (the track loops around and crosses itself) to navigate the steep climb. Batasia Loop, at a tor point near Darjeeling just beyond the town of Ghoom, is the most famous because of its great views.
The Kalka-Shimla Railway ?The railway from Kalka to Simla was completed in 1903, the final stage in the connection of Calcutta, then the capital of British India, with Shimla, the summer capital. The 96km railroad runs through the magnificent scenery of the Shivalik Hills, up valleys ringed by high mountains, across 864 stone bridges built like Roman viaducts, and through 107 tunnels, the longest over a kilometer (1144m) in length.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) ?The steepest mountain railway in India, the NMR climbs the 6159 feet from Mettupalayam to Udhagmandalam over a distance of 46km, with gradients of 1:12 in some stretches. Completed in 1899, it is the only railway in India to use a rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. The train passes through 16 tunnels, over 250 bridges and around 205 sharp curves, with the breathtaking scenery of the Nilgiri Hills visible all along the way.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Rail travel in India
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Rail travel in India - updated Apr 2024
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Rail travel in India Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
