# Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to run special joyrides for Durga Puja 2026-08-27T05:02:16+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) will operate special joyride services on short routes during Durga Puja starting October 1, an official said on Wednesday. Services include four single-trip diesel joyrides between Darjeeling and Ghum at Rs 800 per passenger, and two round-trip services between Kurseong and Mahanadi. One round-trip, named 'Red Panda', will be steam-hauled at Rs 1,530 per passenger. The second round-trip, 'Mukta Dhara', named after Rabindranath Tagore's poem, will be diesel-operated at Rs 1,030 per passenger. DHR official Prateeksha Chetri said the services aim to offer tourists a heritage experience amid the hills' scenic beauty during the festive season. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage site operational since 1881, is among the few remaining steam-era mountain railways in the world. The special Durga Puja joyrides offer a rare chance for passengers to ride a steam locomotive on a working heritage line, an experience that has become increasingly limited as the railway shifts to diesel for regular services. The naming of a trip after Tagore's 'Mukta Dhara' poem ties the ride to the Paglajhora stream, a local landmark whose waterfall is a popular tourist stop along the route. For visitors, the key trade-off is between the cheaper diesel rides and the premium steam-hauled 'Red Panda' trip at Rs 1,530. The services run from October 1, aligning with the peak festive tourism season in the hills. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Leads with an official announcement and quotes the DHR official exclusively, no competing perspective or critical framing. Stance is neutral-report on the story's own terms. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Durga Puja, Kurseong, Rabindranath Tagore, UNESCO Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/darjeeling-himalayan-railway-to-run-special-joyrides-for-durga-puja/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/darjeeling-himalayan-railway-to-run-special-joyrides-for-durga-puja/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/