The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway organised ‘Pedal Fest Kurseong’, a bicycle expedition, on Sunday, marking the first day of the summer festival hosted by the DHR to promote the heritage mountain railway and encourage local people to work towards its conservation.
In the event organised with a local group from the hill town of Kurseong, 35 cyclists, including those from Sikkim, pedalled from Sukna, a DHR station located around
10km away.
The participants ascended to Giddapahar in Kurseong, covering a distance of 35km.
The first to reach the finish line was Anush Sherpa, a resident of Ranipool in Sikkim, who completed the race with an impressive time of one hour, 27 minutes and
57 seconds.
“The summer fest was organised to promote the century-old railway’s commitment to community engagement through outdoor recreation. Residents living along the route, tourists, and railway employees encouraged the participants,” DHR director Rishav Choudhary said.
The Himalayan railway began its journey in 1881. Unesco conferred the World Heritage status on the mountain railway in 1999. DHR is still one of the major attractions for tourists visiting the Darjeeling hills.
The railway authorities also organised a painting competition and exhibition, and a poetry competition on Monday, on the second day of the festival. The competition will continue till June 13.
Films will be screened on toy trains, and there will be competition on short films and documentaries till June 15, when the summer festival will end, said sources.
