The new year has brought good news for train enthusiasts as the first chartered trip of the prestigious Darjeeling toy train was flagged off on Thursday at Siliguri Junction.

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This was the first chartered trip of the toy train after its tariff was slashed from Rs 129,000 to Rs 25,000 for a single trip from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling to make it affordable for domestic tourists, Assistant Commercial Manager of New Jalpaiguri T N Bhattacharjee said. 

Thirty-two domestic tourists boarded four bogies of the train, run by a century-old steam engine, on January 1, 2004 to travel from Siliguri to Kurseong at a cost of Rs 17,424.