You can book steam engine locomotive at Matheran for Rs55,000

Tourists and rail enthusiasts will now be able to book the entire two-coach steam locomotive for a round trip between Aman lodge and Matheran railway stations, at Rs55,000. A one-way ticket will cost nearly Rs28,000.

The inaugural run of the steam engine was carried out on the world heritage day on April 18. The engine will run on diesel at a speed of 8 kilometres per hour (kmph).

However, it will consist of only two coaches as it will be unable to carry the load of additional coaches. A rotating table will be converted into a restaurant, which will serve local cuisine.

“Refreshments will be served on board. The fare for the entire journey will be Rs55,000,” said a senior central railway (CR) official.

“We are working with the Indian Railway Catering Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on developing special packages for the Neral and Matheran section,” the official added.

In a bid to make the iconic Neral-Matheran toy train tourist-friendly, CR is opting for different method to improve the section and model it along the lines of the Kalka-Shimla toy train.

“We plan to model the train on the lines of the Kalka- Shimla toy train. One coach of the train will be turned into a restaurant. Further, JJ School of Arts will be appointed as a consultant on the project. The students are going to visit the Neral- Matheran section soon and will give suggestions on beautifying it, including the stations. We are looking at ways in which we can make use of red soil,” said SK Jain, divisional railway manager, CR.

Recently, CR had announced that the Matheran station will be converted into a green station. Railway officials are going to set up solar power plants of capacity 500-1000 Wp and windmills of capacity 6.1 KWp at the station, along with energy efficient LED lights.