Indian Railways: Take the spectacular Patalpani-Kalakund heritage train ride!
The Patalpani-Kalakund heritage train was introduced by the Western zone of Indian Railways on December 25, 2018. The picturesque rail route between Patalpani and Kalakund in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district offers amazing views of lush-green mountain ranges and spectacular waterfalls. The 9.5 km-long train route comprises 4 tunnels, 24 sharp turns and 41 bridges. Here's more.
The motive behind the launch
The Piyush Goyal-chaired Railway Ministry started the train service, in a bid to preserve the iconic British-era meter gauge rail line between Patalpani and Kalakund. Now, the meter gauge rail line has been converted into a broad gauge line. The rail line has become quite popular, of late, because of the spellbinding views of the mountain ranges and waterfalls that it offers to passengers.
Heritage train as a way to attract tourists
The Chief-Spokesperson of Western Railway Ravinder Bhakar stated that in order to attract tourists from around the globe, railway stations, rest houses and other service buildings on the Patalpani-Kalakund section have been decorated, and about 2 dozen tourist spots have been developed along the route.
Timings of the heritage train
The heritage train takes off from Dr Ambedkar Nagar railway station at 11:05 AM and reaches Kalakund railway station at 1:25 PM. For the return journey, the train starts from Kalakund railway station at 2:55 PM and arrives at Dr Ambedkar Nagar station at 3:40 PM. The train has two coaches, ie. reserved and unreserved.
Journey fare for different categories
The fare per passenger for the 12 seats in the first three rows is Rs. 240, for the to-and-fro journey, while for the remaining rows, the fare stands at Rs. 200 per passenger. For journey in unreserved category, the fare is Rs. 20 per passenger.
