The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has recreated the 146-year-old Sukna railway station in West Bengal as part of efforts to preserve and promote the heritage of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) Toy Train. The initiative was unveiled during a cultural programme featuring a ceremonial cake-cutting, Nepali folk dance and musical performances.

Chetan Kumar Srivastava, General Manager of NFR, inaugurated a photo gallery displaying historic images of the DHR Toy Train. Each photograph carries a QR code that allows visitors to access additional information about the image and the railway’s history.

The recreated station has been introduced alongside tourist-focused measures as passenger numbers reach record levels. Srivastava said the railway had recorded unprecedented footfall this year and was taking measures to make the heritage train more attractive to visitors. Additional services are planned ahead of Durga Puja to manage the expected increase in travel and provide a smoother experience for passengers.

The DHR currently operates eight pairs of daily joy rides on the Darjeeling-Ghoom stretch, which remains a major attraction for tourists. It also runs two direct services between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, adding to the connectivity available to visitors travelling to the hill railway.

Built between 1879 and 1881, the DHR is an 88-km-long, 610-mm narrow-gauge mountain railway. It uses zig-zag reverses and loops to negotiate steep gradients, rising from an altitude of about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to approximately 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. UNESCO inscribed the railway as a World Heritage Site on December 2, 1999, recognising it as an innovative transport system built for rugged mountainous terrain.