Which Is the Highest Railway Station in India

Indian Railways is one of the largest rail networks in the world. Trains are the lifeline of Indian passengers, connecting diverse terrains from arid deserts to humid beaches and lofty mountains with crowded plains. However, have you ever wondered, which is the highest railway station in India?

India is home to the tallest mountain range: the Himalayas. It is thus natural that the highest railway station in the country would lie somewhere in this mountain range. In this blog we will know in detail about the highest railway station in India, its height, history and why this station is so special.

Ghum Railway Station: The Highest Railway Station in India

Ghum (also called Ghoom) Railway Station is the highest railway station in India with a height of 2,258 metres or 7,407 kilometres. It is situated in the Himalayan mountain range and at the time of its construction, it was the highest railway station in all of the British Empire.

Ghum Railway Station is situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.  It is a part of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or Darjeeling Toy Train, which also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

The construction of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway started in 1879 and in this process Ghum Railway Station was also constructed in 1881.  With the construction of this Railway the travel time from Kolkata to Darjeeling was reduced from 5-6 days to only 2 days. Nowadays you can reach New Jalpaiguri from Kolkata (Howrah) in about 

How to Reach Ghum Railway Station?

You can reach Ghum Railway Station from the nearest New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP). New Jalpaiguri is connected with all the major railway stations of the country. You can reach here via:

• Gangtok to New Jalpaiguri train route
• Howrah to New Jalpaiguri train route
• Mumbai to New Jalpaiguri train route 
• Patna to New Jalpaiguri train route
• New Delhi to New Jalpaiguri train route
• Bengaluru to New Jalpaiguri train route

After reaching New Jalpaiguri, passengers can take the iconic Darjeeling Toy Train to reach Ghum Railway Station. Ghum is an important attraction for tourists on the way to Darjeeling. The route for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway goes from New Jalpaiguri → Kurseong → Ghum → Darjeeling.

Passengers who want to look out for the different train options, can check it using RailMitra’s trains between stations feature. You just have to enter the boarding station, deboarding station and the date of journey.

Why Should Ghum Railway Station Be On Your Bucket List

Apart from being the highest railway station in India, Ghum has several other attraction that makes it a must have on your travel bucket list:

• Travel on train through the clouds: Ghum Railway Station is so tall that clouds often gather around it. Imagine being on a train as it passes through the clouds. It cannot get more dreamy than this.

• Batasia Loop: Just before reaching Ghum, the train goes through a 360-degree spiral known as the Batasia loop. From here, you can get a view of the Kanchengjunga, the third highest peak in the World. You can also see a War Memorial built to commemorate the sacrifices of the Gorkha soldiers.

• A journey through the past: You can reach Ghum through a Steam engine and even a Diesel one. Ghum also houses the DHR Museum which houses many vintage engines of Indian Railways.

• Ghoom Monastery: Ghum is also an important site for Buddhism. It houses the Yi Gha Choling or the Ghooma Monastery. It was built in 1850 and is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries of the region.

• Toy train: The most iconic attraction of this station is the toy train that runs on the narrow gauge, which is also how it got the name. A major part of this route runs parallel to the pre-existing Highway. Since a broad gauge would have taken too much of the road’s space, a narrow gauge was preferred.

If you want to book a train to Ghum, you must first check if seats are available for booking on the train. You can easily do so using the train seat availability service at RailMitra.

Is Ghum Still the Highest Railway Station in India?

Ghum Railway Station is still the highest railway station in India. However, many recent projects by the Indian Railways have plans that may dethrone Ghum from the highest position.

Bilaspur–Manali–Leh railway line is under construction and it is situated at the maximum height of 5,359 metres. Taglang La is one of the stations of the project and is located at 5.068 metres. Once completed, this station won’t just be the highest railway in India, but the highest railway station of the world! For comparison, Taglang La Railway Station would be twice as high as the Ghum Railway Station.

Other High Railway Stations in India

Here are some of the other high railway stations (active) in India:

Conclusion

The next time anyone asks you about the highest railway station in India, you don’t have to guess anymore. The answer is Ghum railway station.

However, Ghum is famous not just for its height. It is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and also houses places of historic importance such as Ghoom Monastery, DHR Museum, Gorkha Memorial and the iconic Toy train.

If history, nature and adventure is your calling, do not forget to visit the Ghum railway station.