- Route
- New Jalpaiguri – Siliguri – Kurseong – Ghoom – Darjeeling
- State
- West Bengal
- Year started
- 1881
- UNESCO status
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 – part of the Mountain Railways of India
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is one of the most celebrated railway heritage attractions in India. Opened in 1881, the railway was built to connect the plains around Siliguri with the hill station of Darjeeling.
The railway uses a narrow 610 mm gauge and negotiates difficult Himalayan terrain using sharp curves, loops and zigzag reverses. One of its best-known engineering features is the Batasia Loop near Darjeeling.
The line passes through destinations including Kurseong and Ghoom. Ghoom is situated at an altitude of more than 2,200 metres and is one of the best-known stations on the route.
Steam-hauled tourist services remain an important part of the railway's heritage character, although other locomotives are also used.
UNESCO inscribed the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway on the World Heritage List in 1999. It later became the first component of the broader Mountain Railways of India World Heritage property.