How do I book on the Toy train to Darjeeling please?

Kerrypie

Many thanks,

lyndy

Oh! Even I know the answer to this one! Just bought two tickets, meself!

Check out www.irctc.co.in. You need to register as a user first, before you can buy tickets on line. Then go to Plan my travel and enter the first few letters of originating station & destination station. The originating station is New Jalpaiguri & destination, is, wait for it,..... Darjeeling!

Arrange for your hotel to accept delivery of the tickets & fax them your authority to do this. Enter delivery address as your hotel. I believe others have had problems trying to enter "pick up tickets at New Delhi station", so use your hotel as delivery address.

You can use Visa or mastercard to pay for the tickets on line & make sure you print out the ticket reservation slip with the PNR number on it. It's simple & quick & thanks to the geniuses (spelling??) here who give supply us with such wonderful info on trains & ticket purchase, namely beach & steven ber & assorted others too numerous to mention. I love Indian Rail!

Kerrypie

Thanks very much. I agree that many IMers are very generous with their knowledge. I hope I ca give some back some day.

holiday

Lindy is right.......

But the train that ply from NJP to Darjeeling is on Deisel Engine and inorder to travel in a Steam Engine you need to travel between Kurseong-
Darjeeling or vice versa, the train from Kurseong leaves at 9.00 am and from Darjeelling it leaves at 9.30am in the morning.

lonelyaztec

I think if u get to the station, u will find the schedule of the train.

Depending on your convenience, you book tickets for the time that you want. It is that simple as that.

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Aztec

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nanstallon

Friends

I found that I could not book either an e-ticket or an i-ticket on IRCTC website for the Darjeeling train. I just got the standard requisition form.

However, I contacted a local firm in Siliguri; Nature Beyond, who were brilliant with arranging good, inexpensive accommodation in both Siliguri and Darjeeling as well as tickets for toy train. They also agreed to receive from IRCTC courier the i-tickets that I had ordered for other trains that I could only get i-tickets for and not e-tickets.

Would heartily recommend them for friendly efficient service -e-mail is info@east-himalaya.com, or website www.east-himalaya.com

Regards

John

nanstallon

Friends

I should have added:

The trains from NJP - Siliguri - Darjeeling and vice versa are diesel unless one of the diesels has broken down. Even then, the remaining diesel normally would work from NJP to Kurseong, hand over to steam there and then take over the Darjeeling - NJP train. Steam on the section below Kurseong is restricted to special charters for enthusiasts or the Joy Train that runs weekends (08.00) from Siliguri if enough bookings.

On 18 February I saw such a Joy Train, but it was full. So I went up on the ordinary diesel train about 09.25 from Siliguri. However, apart from meeting the Joy Train on its way back, we crossed with the 16.00 Darjeeling to Kurseong which was steam.

On Sunday, I learned that this local service now leaves Kurseong at 06.40 for Darjeeling, returning at 16.00. So I travelled on the 16.00 that day as far as Ghum. An amazing climb up from Darjeeling, and this is a real train with locals and not just laid on for tourists. There can't be many of these left in the world. But be prepared for late running. The morning train came in from Kurseong about 2 hours late and the 16.00 left at 16.45.

But well worth it! The little engines are about 100 years old for the most part.

The other alternative is the Joy Train (steam) that runs daily if enough demand from Darjeeling to Ghum and back. Two trips at 11.50 and 13.50 (check these times) but neither ran when I was there on 19 February.

Regards

John