TimDuncan875676 at 04:19, 9 September 2025

2025-09-09T04:19:37Z

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{{short description|Railway station in India}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Ghoom railway station
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| symbol_location =
| symbol =
| type =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| address = Hill Cart Road, Ghoom, [[Darjeeling]] [[West Bengal]]
| borough =
| country = [[India]]
| coordinates = {{coord|27.0077589|88.253708|display=inline}}
| map_type = India#India West Bengal
| owned =
| operator =
| line = [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]
| distance =
| platforms = 2<ref name="ghum">{{cite web |title=GHUM/Ghoom |url=https://indiarailinfo.com/departures/ghoom-ghum/1611 |website=Indiarailinfo |access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref>
| tracks =
| train_operators =
| connections =
| structure =
| parking =
| bicycle =
| accessible =
| code = GHUM
| zone =
| website = http://dhr.in.net/
| opened = {{Start date|1881|04|04|df=y}}
| closed = 
| passengers =
| pass_year =
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}}

'''Ghum railway station''' of the [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]] is situated at an altitude of {{convert|7,407|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref name = "Guide">Agarwala, A.P. (editor), ''Guide to Darjeeling Area'', 27th edition, p. 53-55, {{ISBN|81-87592-00-1}}.</ref> The place is the home of the [[Ghum Monastery]] and the [[Batasia Loop]], a bend of the [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]].

[[File:Ghum Railway station.jpg|thumb|left|Ghum, railway station at {{cvt|2257|m}}, the highest point of [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]]]
[[File:A train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway at Ghoom Station.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Himalayan Bird]]

Construction of the [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]] started in 1879 and the railway track reached Ghum on 4 April 1881. Until 1878, the journey from Kolkata to Darjeeling took 5–6 days — using steam-engine-pulled trains, crossing the [[Ganges]] by steam ferry at Sahebganj, and then using bullock carts and palanquins. In 1878, Siliguri was put on the railway map of India, cutting down the journey to two days.<ref name = "Guide"/> In 2007, the train journey from Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri (a new railway station {{convert|6|km|abbr=on|disp=comma}} from Siliguri) takes about 10 hours. Thereafter it is 3–4 hours to Ghum or Darjeeling by road or 6–7 hours by the [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]. Those who are not eager to travel all the way from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling by the slow train climbing up the hill can enjoy a ride on the tourist train from Darjeeling to Ghum and back.

[[File:Ghum Museum.jpg|thumb|Rail Museum, Ghum]]
After climbing from Siliguri to Ghum, the train starts descending about {{convert|1000|ft|m|abbr=on}} to Darjeeling, first crossing the graceful double loop at Batasia (meaning windy place).<ref name = "Guide"/>

Ghum is (falsely) claimed by some tourist literature to be the highest railway station in the world.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} It never was. Chicla station at {{convert|3724|m|abbr=on}} in Peru opened in 1878. The [[Tanggula railway station]] on the [[Qingzang railway]] in China and Tibet, opened in 2006, is at {{convert|5,068|m|ft|abbr=in}}. In [[Rail transport in Switzerland|Switzerland]], the [[Jungfraubahn]] (JB) is a {{track gauge|1000mm}} [[rack railway]] which runs {{convert|9|km}} from [[Kleine Scheidegg]] to the highest railway station in [[Europe]] at [[Jungfraujoch]] (elevation {{convert|3471|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}).
[[File:Ghum Map.jpg|thumb]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Railway stations in India opened in 1881]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Darjeeling district]]
[[Category:Northeast Frontier Railway zone]]

Ghum railway station - Revision history

TimDuncan875676 at 04:19, 9 September 2025