Darjeeling Toy Train: Joy Ride Times, Booking

The Darjeeling toy train most visitors want is the Joy Ride: a round trip from Darjeeling to Ghum and back with a steam locomotive, about two hours in total. It runs daily with four departures, at 08:00 (diesel), 10:40, 13:20 and 16:05 (steam).^[1] Book it ahead for your date, because the sets are small. The regular passenger trains on this line run only between Kurseong and Darjeeling.^[1]

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 5 reverses and 3 loops, the best known being the Batasia Loop between Ghum and Darjeeling.^[1] The Joy Ride is the only part of it that most day visitors need.

Which train to take

Choose the Joy Ride for the experience. The 10:40, 13:20 and 16:05 departures are steam hauled, the 08:00 is diesel.^[1] Locomotive type and coach make-up can change for technical or operational reasons or with demand, so treat the steam label as a plan rather than a guarantee.^[1]

Since 1 October 2026 the railway has added four single-trip diesel joyrides between Darjeeling and Ghum for the Durga Puja season. Darjeeling to Ghum departs 09:20 and 11:25, Ghum to Darjeeling departs 10:25 and 12:30, at a proposed fare of 800 rupees per single journey.^[2] These are one-way, which suits you if you plan to continue by road from Ghum.

The regular trains are for getting from Kurseong to Darjeeling: 52587 leaves Kurseong at 07:00 and arrives 09:45, and 52544 leaves Darjeeling at 10:15 and arrives Kurseong 13:10.^[1] A through train from New Jalpaiguri is not shown in the operator timetable pages used here, so check the booking search before you plan a full-line ride.

What the Joy Ride includes

The Joy Ride stops for 10 minutes at the Batasia Loop and 30 minutes at Ghum to visit the railway museum, and the fare includes the museum entry.^[1] The steam service uses 2 First Class coaches hauled by a B Class steam locomotive.^[1] Ghum is described by the Railway Board as the second highest railway station in the world to be reached by a steam locomotive.^[1]

Fares

No current Joy Ride fare is published consistently. The Railway Board page gives 335 rupees per head,^[1] while the DHR fare table, last reviewed in 2016, lists 1,100 rupees for steam and 630 for diesel.^[3] The figures disagree and are dated. The booking search shows the fare for your date. The same Railway Board table lists Kurseong to Darjeeling at 185 rupees in First Class and 30 rupees in Second Class seating.^[1]

How to book

Joy Ride tickets are sold through the Indian Railways reservation network and at Darjeeling station.^[4] The railway says to select Darjeeling (DJ) as the from station and DJRZ as the to station when booking the Joy Ride.^[5] Online booking goes through IRCTC, and you can also book at any computerised reservation counter in India.^[4]

Steam charters for groups are also offered, from any station to any station on the line, with flexible timings.^[5]

Stations

Darjeeling is the start and end of the Joy Ride. Ghum is the turning point, where the museum stop happens. The line runs 87.48 km in total from New Jalpaiguri, with 13 stations on the full section and an average gap of 6 to 7 km between stations.^[1] Kurseong is the start of the regular trains to Darjeeling.

On board

The Joy Ride takes about two hours for the round trip.^[1] The steam service runs with First Class coaches.^[1] The track follows the Hill Cart Road, crossing it at several points, so the ride passes through streets and past houses rather than open country.^[1]

Disruption

Landslips have cut the line before: since mid-2010 a major slip near Paglajhora interrupted through services, and further slips followed at Tindharia in 2011 and 2012.^[5] The Joy Ride around Darjeeling and Ghum is not on the affected stretch, but the operator announces changes on its site.