Soon, You'll Be Able To Board A Toy Train In Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang

The famous toy train rides of Darjeeling’s Himalayan Railway and the scenic Shimla-Kalka are set to be replicated in the beautiful town of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. We bring you the scoop! By Anushka Goel

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One of the most exciting parts of a visit to Shimla is often the Kalka-Shimla Railway, and visits to Darjeeling are incomplete without going onboard the Himalayan Railway. And now another state is set to join the bandwagon by offering its tourists a toy train ride. On August 12, the Arunachal Pradesh government approved a proposal for a toy train project in the state’s town, Tawang, reports Deccan Herald. The scenic town is close to the Indo-China border and is a popular tourist spot.

According to an IANS report on Sify.com, a senior official of the Arunachal Pradesh government said that the state’s Chief Minister, Pema Khandu, gave his nod to Northern Frontier Railway (NFR)’s proposal in a meeting with its officials, led by NFR’s General Manager, Anshul Gupta.

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Reports suggest that this toy train will have three bogies, housing 12 passengers each. It will be a tourist-centric project centred around the township, and will include a park that has facilities such as food centres, craft bazaars, and more. Khandu also tweeted about the project, writing, “The picturesque town of #Tawang will soon have a #ToyTrain service. Gave nod to the proposal today in a meeting with @RailNf in presence of GM Anshul Gupta. Requested NF Railway for train service to southern states and also discussed on work on rail connectivity to Pasighat.”

Apart from the toy train project, which is said to be completed in six months, NFR is also in the process of constructing a broad-gauge railway line from Bhalukpong in the foothills to Tawang, covering a distance of 378 kilometres and reaching a height of 10,000 feet, to ease connectivity to the region.

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One of the major attractions in Tawang, apart from its scenic beauty, is a visit to India’s largest Buddhist monastery, which is said to be founded by Mera Lama Lodre Gyatso with the help of local people in late 1681.