Siliguri, Jan. 14: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) does not offer a moving palace, nor a five-star hotel on wheels, yet its 125-year-old narrow-gauge train has made it to the recently released list of the World’s Top 25 Trains.

The Society of International Railway Travelers, an organisation that celebrates 25 years in 2008, has made the announcement in a special edition of its official newsletter that provides up-to-date information on rail travel worldwide.

Palace on Wheels and the Deccan Odyssey are the two other Indian trains to feature on the list, which has Europe’s “very dignified grande dame” the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, and some of the over-the-top luxury trains like the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express and Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa.

“The World’s Top 25 Trains is based on our own experience and that of our writers, editors, members and staff,” Society president Eleanor Hardy said in an electronic release issued on January 10 from Louisville, Kentucky, US. “The trains met stringent standards for service, accommodation, scenery, itinerary, off-train experiences and passenger enjoyment. Trains cannot pay to be included in this book: we choose them.”

DHR director Subroto Nath said he had spoken to the selectors after he had heard the news. “They confirmed the selection of the DHR,” he said. “What is significant is that the train has been selected solely on the basis of the experience it offers and not because of its heritage status. So far, we have mainly had British enthusiasts who were attracted to the train because of their nostalgia for steam engines. But now we hope to get tourists from all over the world, especially Americans.”

“This is wonderful news,” David Barrie, the president of the London-based DHR Society, told The Telegraph. “We are doubly delighted because it was Darjeeling Tours, an arm of our Society, that organised the tour for the selectors.”

David Charlesworth, the editor of Darjeeling Mail published by the DHR Society, added: “Most railways are about the scenery. The DHR certainly has the variety….It’s main difference is the intimate relationship with people. The travellers feel that they are visiting the homes and meeting everyone who lives along the line. There’s even time to jump on and off the train, travel on the roof and hang out of the doors. This freedom alone puts it at number one in my book!”