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The iconic ‘Van Rani’ — the mini toy train at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) — has resumed its services on Sunday after a two-week maintenance halt. It was formally inaugurated on March 14 by MP Piyush Goyal but had stopped operations on March 23 due to a few mechanical issues. The train has been in service since its resumption on January 6 this year. Excited visitors at Krishnagiri station shared their experience with mid-day, reviewing their train rides.

Official Speak

Visitors seen having fun on board Van Rani (jungle queen)

Kiran Patil, Deputy Director (South), SGNP, said, “Over the last week RITES [the project management agency] has overseen all the repairs and upgrades, aiming to solve the issues from their roots. We have done multiple trials to ensure that the issues don’t repeat. One train has resumed service for the tourists on Sunday, and the other one is also expected to be back on track within the next 2-3 days.”

Timings, cost

The toy train is operational from 9 am to 1 pm and from 1.30 pm until 5 pm on all days except Monday, which is the park’s weekly day off. Visitors can book the ticket from inside the SGNP and board the train from Krishnagiri station, located inside the SGNP. The train ticket is R98 for an adult and R37 for a child, which gets coupled with the park’s entry fee of Rs 113 for one adult and Rs 61 for one child.

Hitesh Jain (right) with family at Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Voices

Anil Dhuri, Malad East resident 
“It was a great experience; we enjoyed it a lot, especially our kid. The ride offers key visuals like greenery and deer.”

Hitesh Jain, Borivali East resident
“Bachpan ke din yaad aagye… Along with our kids, we also enjoyed it like we had become kids again. We spotted deer and the tribal residents of the park. The ride is unique and fully ‘paisa vasool’.”

Sachin Jaipuri, Tourist from Jalna
“Firstly, the buses were scarce, so we had to take a long walk to reach the train spot. Why can’t the train be operational throughout the day? They should increase the trains or the staff in order to cut down on the afternoon halt with the help of rotational shifts.”

March 14
Day train was inaugurated