Published: Tuesday, Nov 1, 2011, 8:00 IST By DNA | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
Just weeks after Maharashtra tourism minister Chhagan Bhujbal launched the hi-profile Deccan Odyssey tourist train from Mumbai CST comes the new, improved Matheran toy train, one that promises travellers a 360° view of the ascent to the quaint hill station with its transparent roof and big windows.
Though the developments are unrelated, they come as a ray of hope for the city’s rail and heritage tourism that has been virtually dormant till now. India has long had chartered trains to popular tourist destinations, but the concept of dedicated tourist and heritage trains has not received much attention despite the country boasting of a plethora of heritage sites and three of our mountain railways — the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Kalka Simla Railway and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway — and Mumbai’s CST having UNESCO’s world heritage status. The Matheran railway, nominated in UNESCO’s tentative list, is also on its way to becoming a world heritage site.
With so much to see and appreciate, the heritage runs of the Indian Railways must connect with the traveller. The railways are slowly beginning to sense the potential of this concept, and a plan to introduce a series of tourist trains is taking shape. Several trains, some pulled by the nostalgia-inducing steam locomotives, have been lined up, including the Bharat Darshan train, Hill Charters, the Fairy Queen, and the Deccan Odyssey.
Rail and heritage tourism is big business abroad and special runs with steam locomotives, revival of disused lines, and rail heritage parks are commonplace. While the concept is still to gain popularity in India, the upgrade of services like the Matheran railway indicates that our policymakers are finally on the right track.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/editorial_mumbai-editorial-chugging-in-the-right-direction_1605882