'Steam Jungle Tea Safari' delight for tourists visiting Darjeeling

What about celebrating a birthday, marriage anniversary or any other get together inside a Vistadome coach of a toy train leisurely passing through scenic tea gardens and along the lower Himalayan hills?

The 'Steam Jungle Tea Safari' introduced by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) recently has made this possible between Siliguri junction in North Bengal and Rongtong station section of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), a Unesco World Heritage site.

"The Steam Jungle Tea Safari includes facilities such as Vistadome coach and hauled by heritage steam engine. The toy train travels through the scenic beauty of the tea gardens apart from breathtaking views of lower Himalayan hills. Tourists can enjoy the on train services while making celebrations on the wheels. They can enjoy the famous Darjeeling tea during the three-hour-long journey," said Guneet Kaur, chief public relations officer of NFR.

The DHR is under NFR headquarters situated at Maligaon in Guwahati. Darjeeling is a popular hill station in North Bengal.

The service was introduced on August 30 and at present, it has provisions for 14 passengers in the Vistadome coach. However additional coaches can also be attached depending on demands, Kaur said.

Vistadome coaches are new in India and are equipped with advanced features such as large glass windows, glass roofs, observation lounges and rotatable seats.

The steam engine train leaves Siliguri junction at 2.45 pm to reach Rongtong at 4.20 pm. In return journey, the train departs from Rongtong at 4.40 pm and reach Siliguri junction at 6.05 pm. "The train has a stoppage at Sukna station during both way journey. Interested tourists can also make a visit to the museum at Sukna station too, Kaur said.

"This unique Steam Jungle Tea Safari is an ideal way to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and get-togethers. The new service has already received a good response and we hope to attract more and more tourists to the region in the coming days," Kaur said.

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