Mountain Railways of India

The story of this place

In the 19th century, British engineers faced a stubborn problem, how to take a railway up an Indian mountain. The answers they found were so bold that UNESCO now protects three of these lines together as the Mountain Railways of India.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway came first, opened in 1881 in the hills of West Bengal. Its engineers used zigzag reverses and spiral loops, six zigzags and three loops in all, to lift a two foot gauge track from the plains at New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, passing Ghum at about 2,258 metres, the highest railway station in India. It joined the World Heritage List in 1999.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu was first proposed in 1854, but the mountain was so difficult that work began only in 1891 and finished in 1908. To climb from 326 metres at Mettupalayam to 2,203 metres at Udhagamandalam, it uses a rack and pinion system, a toothed rail between the tracks that the engine grips, the only railway in India that works this way. It was added to the listing in 2005.

The Kalka Shimla Railway, opened in 1903, carries the line 96 km from Kalka into the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh, through more than a hundred tunnels and over hundreds of bridges, including graceful multi-arched gallery bridges, to reach Shimla, the summer capital of British India. It completed the trio in 2008. All three lines remain fully operational, living machines from another age.

What you will see

On the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the track runs right beside the hill road, so close that the train whistles past shop fronts and school gates. The famous moment is the Batasia Loop just below Darjeeling, where the line spirals around a garden with a war memorial, and on a clear day the snow wall of Kanchenjunga fills the sky behind the town. At Ghum station you can visit the small DHR museum, and if you ride behind one of the old B class steam engines, you get the full drama of smoke, whistle and hissing steam.

The Nilgiri line is a jungle railway for much of its climb. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor the steam engine pushes the train up the rack section through forest, streams and tunnels, and monkeys watch you from the parapets. Above Coonoor the line levels out and runs through tea estates and eucalyptus to Ooty.

The Kalka Shimla line is a procession of tunnels and pine forests. The long tunnel at Barog is the most famous of its hundred plus tunnels, and the stone arch bridges stacked in tiers below the track are engineering you can photograph. In winter, if your timing is lucky, you ride into a snow covered Shimla.

Joy rides, trains and how to book

All three railways are part of Indian Railways, so you book them like any train, on irctc.co.in, and seats in season genuinely sell out weeks ahead.

At Darjeeling, most visitors take the famous joy ride, a round trip of about two hours from Darjeeling station to Ghum and back, with a photo halt at the Batasia Loop and a stop at the Ghum museum. You can choose a steam hauled or a diesel hauled joy ride, steam costs more and feels a century older, and both run several times a day in season. If you want the full line, a daily service also connects New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling, a slow, wonderful climb of about seven hours.

On the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, the daily train leaves Mettupalayam in the early morning, around 7 in the morning, and reaches Ooty around midday, with the return in the afternoon. Demand in the summer season is heavy, so book as early as you can. On the Kalka Shimla line you have several trains a day, the Shivalik Deluxe Express leaves Kalka very early and does the run in about five hours, and the Himalayan Queen connects conveniently with trains from Delhi at Kalka. Fares and timings change from time to time, so please check current details on IRCTC when you plan.

Best time to visit

For Darjeeling, October to early December is the prize season, when the air is washed clean and Kanchenjunga shows itself, and spring, March to May, is lovely for tea gardens and flowers. Avoid the monsoon, June to September, when landslides can interrupt the line.

The Nilgiri railway runs all year, and the hills are pleasant in every season, though April to June brings the biggest holiday rush to Ooty and tickets become the hardest to get. For Kalka Shimla, March to June and October to November are the comfortable months, and December to February rewards you with the chance of snow at the top, a magical sight from a toy train window.

On all three lines, remember one thing, the train is the destination. Do not treat it as mere transport with a schedule to beat. Take the morning departure, sit by the window, and let the mountain come to you slowly.

How to reach

For the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, fly to Bagdogra or take a train to New Jalpaiguri, both near Siliguri. From there you can ride the toy train up over the full day, or drive up to Darjeeling in about 3 hours and take the joy ride from Darjeeling station.

For the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Coimbatore is the gateway, with a well connected airport and railway station. Mettupalayam is about 40 km from Coimbatore, and an overnight train from Chennai also reaches Mettupalayam in time for the morning mountain departure.

For the Kalka Shimla Railway, take a train from Delhi to Kalka, about 4 to 5 hours, or fly to Chandigarh, which is about 30 km from Kalka, and board the toy train there. Many of our guests ride the train up to Shimla and return by road, which saves time and gives you both experiences.

Tips from our travel experts

Book early, that is the single most important tip. Joy ride and mountain train seats in holiday season are gone two to three weeks ahead, sometimes more. For the Darjeeling joy ride, choose steam if the budget allows, it is the heritage experience the world comes for.

Carry a warm layer on all three lines, even in summer, the temperature drops steadily as you climb. Keep your camera hand free at Batasia Loop on the DHR, on the rack section forests of the NMR, and at the arched bridges after Barog on the KSR. These trains are slow, open windowed and utterly photogenic.

If you are short on time, here is our honest advice. At Darjeeling, the two hour joy ride gives you the essence. On the Nilgiri line, the Mettupalayam to Coonoor stretch holds the best scenery. On Kalka Shimla, ride the full line at least once in your life.

For our NRI and OCI travellers

For many NRI families these little trains are pure childhood, the engines from old Hindi films, the stations your parents remember. Riding them with your children is one of the sweetest gifts you can give across three generations.

Booking on IRCTC from abroad needs an account, and registration from overseas takes a little patience, so start early or simply ask us to hold the seats when we build your itinerary. And plan the hills with buffer days, mountain weather has its own mind, and a spare day at Darjeeling or Shimla is never wasted.