The Indian Railways is one of the oldest and densest railway networks across the globe, offering the train services to every nook and corner in the world's seventh-largest country. With such a wide network, there are a few routes that pass through picturesque locations, offering a travelling delight to passengers. These scenic routes include the snow-clad mountains of Kashmir to lush green seawater in Tamil Nadu. Among those are also the heritage toy trains of Shimla and Darjeeling. We have compiled a list of such scenic routes one can take for an experience of a lifetime.
1/6 Qazikund-Baramulla Train in Kashmir
The Qazukund-Baramulla route is part of a megaproject to connect the Jammu province with Kashmir via train journey. Started in 2008, the near 60km train journey takes 2.45 hours to finish offering a scenic view of snow-clad mountains in winter.
2/6 Pamban Bridge, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Pamban Bridge connects mainland India with Pamban Island, and Rameswaram and was opened more than 100 years back as India's first sea bridge. Until 1988, the Pamban bridge was the only surface transport to visit Rameswaram from the mainland. It passes through the lush green sea offering a pleasant experience to travellers.
3/6 Mumbai-Pune Western Ghat Route
The Western Ghats is considered one of the greenest areas in India and especially during monsoon, travellers visit the area to experience the mountain greenery. Not just the highway, but the Mumbai-Pune train route also offers greenery and mountain views.
4/6 Kalka-Shimla Toy Train in Himachal Pradesh
The heritage Kalka-Shimla toy train is one of the oldest active railway lines in India and runs on the narrow gauge, rather than broad gauge rail. The toy train has been part of many movies and offers scenic mountain views, tunnels and greenery around Himachal Pradesh.
5/6 Dhoodhsagar Falls in Goa
Dudhsagar waterfall near Goa is one of the highest waterfalls in the country and the intensity of the water gives it a white colour, hence the name. The best time to visit the waterfall is from October to May and one can take a train journey from Bengaluru, Chennai to Hubli side to Goa to visit the waterfalls.
6/6 Darjeeling Toy Train, West Bengal
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Another Heritage toy train network is in Darjeeling, West Bengal and is often considered the cleanest train route in India. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 2 ft gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling and was built almost 150 years ago.
We request our readers to plan their travel to these beautiful and scenic routes and stick to the COVID-19 restrictions issued by the state governments. Travelling across the country is now easier than ever because of the complete digitization of the train ticketing procedure. Now, you can book train tickets online from the comfort of your home. And it’s not just the train tickets booking system that has been revolutionized. All other services such as checking the PNR status, live train status, train schedule, and seat availability are easy-to-use as well. You only have to enter your IRCTC login credentials to book train tickets with ease.
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