Mumbai, Jun 4 (PTI) The heritage narrow-gauge train service between Neral and the Matheran hill station, about 100 km from Mumbai, will remain non-operational for over four months during the monsoon, the Central Railway said on Wednesday.
The CR said in a release that it would operate six to eight shuttle services daily between Matheran and Aman Lodge stations, while the direct Neral-Matheran services will remain suspended.
Matheran in Raigad district receives heavy rainfall during the monsoon. As the area has experienced landslides, track damage, and embankment washouts in the past, the train services have been suspended for safety reasons, a CR official said.
According to the release, the 21-km-long Neral-Matheran narrow gauge line, which meanders through the picturesque ghat section of the Matheran hill range, will remain non-operational between June 1 and October 15, 2025.
Between Matheran and Aman Lodge stations, six shuttle services will operate in both directions from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, eight such services will be run, CR said.
Aman Lodge station is located near Dasturi Point, beyond which motorised vehicles, except ambulances, are not allowed. These shuttle services help tourists and locals, who would otherwise have to spend a higher amount on rickshaws or horses for their journey or to transport their belongings to the hill station.
All shuttle services will consist of three second-class coaches, one first-class coach, and two second-class-cum-luggage vans, the release added.
The toy train service is immensely popular among tourists, especially children.
The Neral-Matheran Light Railway, one of the few heritage mountain railways in India, has completed 118 years, with the first toy train service, powered by a steam engine, commencing in 1907. The work on the line began in 1904, and it was opened to traffic in 1907. PTI KK NR
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