Luxury Trains in India

Hill trains in India are one of the supreme attractions of India. There are primarily five railway lines built in the magnificent hill stations of India. These railway lines were built by the Britishers during 19th and early 20th century.

All the five railway tracks connect the important Indian hill resorts through the breathtaking surroundings of valleys, foothills and panoramic terrains etc.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway:

Nilgiri Mountain Railway is 46 km long meter gauge single track in the splendid Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu state. This railway track connects Mettupalayam town with the wonderful hill station of Udagamandalam. Till 1899 Coonoor was the final hill station, but in September 1908 it was extended up to Fernhill and finally in October 1908 it was extended up to the hill station of Udagamandalam.

It is the oldest as well as the steepest rack with pinion technology, which is still fully operational.

Throughout the journey the charismatic beauty of Nilgiri hills, also known as ''blue mountains'' mesmerizes the tourists. During the journey Nilgiri toy train runs through 16 tunnels, 208 curves and 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 5 hours while downhill journey takes just 3.5 hours.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July2005.

Kalka Shimla Railway:

Kalka Shimla Railway was constructed in 1898 by Delhi-Ambala-Kalka Railway Company in the beautiful Siwalik ranges. It is 95.66 km long narrow gauge track, which was opened on November 9th 1903.

During this amazing journey Kalka Shimla toy train goes through 103 tunnels, 864 bridges and 919 curves. The journey of uphills starts at an elevation of 2,152 feet, which ends up at Shimla at an altitude of 6,811 ft.

Matheran Hill Railway:

Matheran Hill Railway or Matheran Light Railway is a heritage railway of Maharashtra state, constructed by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy between 1901 to 1907. It is 20 km long narrow gauge track, that connects Neral to Matheran. Matheran toy train covers the hills of Western Ghats near Kajrat and Mumbai.

Matheran Hill Railway is governed by the Central Railways. In monsoons this railway line is generally closed due to the danger of landslides.

Kangra Valley Railway:

Kangra Valley Railway is situated in the sub Himalayan region of serene beauty. It is 163 km long narrow gauge track between Pathankot and Joginder Nagar.
It was planned in May 1926 and was opened for traffic in 1929. It is most popularly known as "Kangra Toy Train". During the journey Kangra Valley Railways cover 2 tunnels and 971 bridges. The highest point of this of this railway line is Ahju station at an elevation of 3,970 ft.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR):

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway gave the new heights to the toy train. DHR is situated in the Indian state of West Bengal, operated by Indian Railways.
Darjeeling train travel is 88 km long narrow gauge track between Siliguri and Darjeeling. Darjeeling toy train starts from Siliguri at an altitude of 330 ft and till Darjeeling it attains an elevation of around 7,200 ft.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is one of the best example of innovative transportation system in the whole world. In 1999 this mountain line (DHR) got the pride of being first recognized by the UNESCO committee.

Plan a trip of hill trains of India to enjoy the magical beauty of Indian hills in the most enjoyable way.