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DHRS August 2010
Services between New Jalpaiguri and Kurseong were suspended on 16 June after heavy overnight rain caused a severe landslip at Pagla Jhora. A twenty-yard stretch of the NH55 (Hill Cart Road) caved in, slipping into a 400ft gorge with a truckload of LPG cylinders and damaging the DHR tracks. The truck driver and his assistant had a very lucky escape and were just able to leap clear of the vehicle when the road started sinking beneath them.
A further twenty metre stretch of road was damaged. Vehicle diversions were set up via Mirik/Mungpoo and (for light vehicles) via the Pankhabari road, but in each case adding an extra two hours to journey times to Darjeeling. A highways engineer confirmed that repair work would need to start from about 35-40 metres below the elevation of the road.
Initially it was estimated that repair work would take some weeks, but restoring even this vital road link was then suspended due to the bandh (strike).
Sadly, even when repair work resumed it then had to be suspended again due to the effect of further heavy rains and rock slides which extended the affected area to a full five hundred metres. The present (6 August) position is that National Highways Authority engineers are planning a new road/rail alignment; this will require the formal approval of the transfer of five hectares of Forest Department land, and due to the continuing monsoon the work of reinstatement may be delayed until the rains abate in mid September.
Whilst understandable, this delay has proved very unpopular with local truck drivers who are pressurising the authorities for work to start sooner.
On 5 August the General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway travelled from Darjeeling to Kurseong in a special train hauled by B Class No 791 to inspect the work site and to reassure local people that the track would indeed be reinstated. At the present time no firm date can be predicted, but it seems unlikely that road repairs will be completed before November 2010, and only then can the rail link be restored.
Work on Bengal-Sikkim broad gauge railway line begins
Ansari, Mamata upbeat on rail connectivity in North-East.
From The Hindu, Business Line by Sarikah Atreya. Rangpo (East Sikkim), Oct. 30 2009
The Vice-President, Dr Hamid Ansari, today laid the foundation stone for the broad gauge railway line between Rangpo (Sikkim) and Sevoke (West Bengal) at Sikkim Mining Ground, Rangpo, 40 km from Gangtok, triggering dreams of seeing the Indian Railways’ flag flying at the Nathu La border post.
“This is a significant milestone in providing rail connectivity for Sikkim,” said the Vice-President at the function, attended by the Union Railways Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, the Sikkim Governor, Mr B.P. Singh, and the Chief Minister, Mr Pawan Chamling.
The rail project is estimated to cost Rs 1,339.48 crore and is scheduled to link Sevoke in Siliguri with Rangpo in East Sikkim with a broad gauge rail spanning 52.7 km.
Five stations have been proposed – Raing, Gielkhola, Teesta Bazaar, Melli and Rangpo. There will be 100 bridges with four manned level crossings along the track.
Altogether, 13 tunnels will be constructed for the project, with the longest tunnel being 1,814 metres. Final location survey is in progress to fix the alignment of this route and work out detailed estimate of the project.
This will provide the first ever rail link to Sikkim. Indian Railway Construction Company Ltd, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, is entrusted with the execution of the project, which is targeted to be completed in five years.
Survey for new lines
Meanwhile, in accordance with the Railways’ policy of providing rail link to all the capitals of the Northeastern States, Railway has carried out a reconnaissance survey to bring Gangtok on the railway map of the country.
Another survey to provide rail connectivity from Mirik to Gangtok is in progress.
With the foundation stone-laying function, the three-day visit of the Vice-President to Sikkim ended and he flew back to New Delhi in the afternoon.
Minister’s assurance
Ms Banerjee said at the function, “The rail link project between Sevoke and Rangpo is a difficult task but we can do it. If we can do such projects in Jammu and Kashmir, we can set up rail tracks in similar difficult terrains such as Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.”
The Union Minister said that the Sevoke-Rangpo rail link would later be extended to Gangtok and the Sikkim’s capital will be also connected with Mirik in Darjeeling district with a rail link.
She directed the Indian Railway authorities to set up two new computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) in Gangtok and Rangpo.
The NF Railway General Manager, Mr Ashutosh Goswami, welcomed the guests. The function was attended by legislators, Ministers and senior officials of State Government and the Railways.
Rush in UK to taste hill culture - Darjeeling at Launceston by The Telegraph, Calcutta
 
A toy train loco that had once operated in Darjeeling runs near Launceston station in the UK.
The stalls at the station. Telegraph pictures
Siliguri, Aug. 28 2009: The English women wore Tibetan bakhu (gowns) and honju (silk shirts), the men looked dapper in kurta pyjamas. This August, the mixed flavour of Darjeeling’s composite culture made way to Launceston in England for two days.
And if one goes by records, the “Darjeeling at Launceston” event organised by the UK-based Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS) on August 19 and 20 were two of the busiest days of the Launceston Steam Railway (LSR) ever since it was established in 1983.
“It was a great success. Although hectic, everybody involved — staff, members of the DHRS and visitors — had a great time,” David Mead, the DHRS correspondence secretary and organiser of the event, wrote in an e-mail to The Telegraph.
The programme was held as part of the DHRS’s annual celebration.
The visitors were greeted with a “namaste” (an Indian form of greeting with folded hands) and Tibetan prayer flags were erected at the entrance to Launceston station. The ambience was accentuated by the shehnai, the “Indian piped” music.
The “famous yellow signs” that dot the 80km toy train route were there too. The DHRS members, however, got a little creative this time setting up one of those yellow sign boards for the “Darjeeling station” that humorously highlighted the monkey menace in the hill town. “Beware of monkeys, they might steal your sandwich,” it read.
The papads and the Indian vegetable curry ran out on the first day and more had to be prepared. Even the two stalls selling Indian artefacts, books and clothes did brisk business.
Earlier, the DHRS used to replicate the hill railway’s Sukna station at its annual event in the UK. This time, they chose Darjeeling as it would be easier for people to make connection with the famous hill station.
The idea clicked. So successful was the event that “Darjeeling” not only drew crowds from different parts of the country, but from neighbouring Holland and Denmark too.
A part of the revenue collected in the event will be spent on communities living along the tracks in the hill town. In the past, the DHRS had distributed sewing machines, books and study material to schoolchildren and run vocational training courses
“The two days were good financially as one can well imagine from the crowd that was there. We will continue to support the communities along the full length of the line,” Mead wrote.
Film screening to mark DHR’s anniversary
Statesman News Service: SILIGURI, 24 JULY 2009:
The world-renowned Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) would observe its 128th anniversary on 23 August in Siliguri.
The DHR authority and the North Bengal Science Centre would jointly organise the week-long observance.
The programme would showcase several rare photographs connected with the heritage train’s century-long journey through the hilly terrain. This apart, a film depicting the toy train’s chequered career would be shown.
Informing this, the DHR director Mr Subrata Nath said the programme aims to arouse the tourists’ interest in the DHR's luminous history.
“This railway fascinates tourists, yet if asked about the history behind it most of them would plead ignorance.
“We want to enlighten them on its socio-economic and historical importance. And for those who are interested to probe deeper, we would provide a plethora of exciting information,” Mr Nath said.
The DHR director further said that the photographs were being collected principally from the Kurseong archives. “Besides, rare collections preserved in the Tindharia and Sukna DHR offices would also be displayed.”
“The school children would be especially involved in the programme, for we want them to develop a sense of belonging to this treasured heritage institution,” he said.
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