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CR resumes Matheran toy train on occasion of Diwali
The CR has added one vista dome coach in the six-coach train for passengers to behold the scenic views while travelling
Making this Diwali even brighter is the heritage, narrow gauge, toy train running between Neral and Matheran hill station, which has resumed operations from Sunday, October 23. The central railway (CR) has restarted the toy train services after a gap of three years giving passengers the detailed schedule on the occasion of Diwali. What’s more, the CR has added one vista dome coach in the six-coach train for passengers to behold the scenic views while travelling.
According to the information shared by the CR, general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti carried out inspection of the stretch earlier this week on Thursday. “We are happy to restart the heritage train operations after a gap of three years, and it is a Diwali gift for commuters from the railways,” Lahoti said after the inspection.
The newly-designed toy train has six coaches, one of which is a vista dome coach with the other five being first- and second- class coaches. The CR also declared the day schedule of the train from Aman Lodge to Matheran station.
In 2019, toy train operations were first shut down after the railway track was damaged due to heavy rain after which operations remained closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and till after the rainy season this year. “The damaged sleepers on the railway track have been replaced by new concrete sleepers and more safety measures have been taken. Apart from that, the retaining wall and gabion walls have also been installed in several parts of the ghat section. For rainwater management, drains have been built under the track for water to flow away,” said Anil Jain, deputy chief public relations officer, CR, Mumbai.
Currently, the train is only running on the 2 km stretch between Aman Lodge and Matheran. Kiran Pisal, who travelled by the toy train today, said, “It was so much fun and excitement for us to travel by the toy train with the vista dome coach feel. It’s just beautiful to see nature in the hilly parts of Matheran while travelling by the train.”
