Matheran toy train
Credit: Central Railway
Raigad: After the monsoon break of nearly five months, the iconic toy train services from Neral to the hill station of Matheran in Raigad district will resume operations from Thursday.
The Neral-Matheran services are run by the Mumbai-headquartered Central Railway.
The services on this route are typically halted from June to October as a precautionary measure due during the monsoon months.
However, shuttle trains between Aman Lodge and Matheran continued to operate during this period.
Located 108 km away from downtown Mumbai and 120 km away from Pune — Matheran, at a height of 2,570 feet, in the Karjat tehsil of Raigad district.
The Neral-Matheran Light Railway, which is one amongst the few Heritage Mountain Railways in India, is the first Toy train service run by Steam Engine commencing in 1907.
Matheran, which means - “forest on the forehead" - was discovered in May 1850 by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then district collector of Thane. Lord Elphinstone, the then Governor of Bombay laid the foundations of the development as a future hill station. The Britishers developed Matheran as a popular resort to beat the summer heat in the region. The Matheran Hill Railway - a popular toy train - was built in 1907 by Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy.
One can do a lot of things in Matheran – walk, trek, mountaineering and rock climbing, valley crossing, night trails, bird watching and so on.
Nestled in the Western Ghats, Matheran is an eco-sensitive region and is Asia's only automobile-free hill station.