Fact 🧞‍♂️

SpotGenie Fact: India’s Highest Railway Station: Ghum (Darjeeling)

At 2,258 meters above sea level, Ghum Railway Station is India’s highest railway station, a century-old mountain marvel still running steam trains through the clouds.

Pratik Kamble

07 Nov 2025 — 2 min read

SpotGenie Fact: India’s Highest Railway Station: Ghum (Darjeeling)

🏔️ The Station That Touches the Sky… Literally!

Ever wondered where India’s railways come closest to the clouds?
Tucked deep inside the misty hills of Darjeeling lies a tiny station that stands higher than some aircraft flight paths during takeoff —
Welcome to Ghum Railway Station, officially India’s highest railway station, perched at a breathtaking 2,258 meters above sea level.

It's so high that you’re literally looking down at the clouds.

🚂 Curious Fact

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) Toy Train climbs from Kurseong to Ghum, one of the steepest climbs in Indian Railways, snaking through tea gardens, hairpin curves, and hill-side villages.
And then suddenly, the tracks level out at a lonely mountain ridge station: Ghum.

This 19th-century hill station railway marvel (opened in 1881) still runs steam locomotives, making it both the highest and one of the oldest operating heritage stations in India.

🧭 Key Validated Facts (October 2025)

Station Name: Ghum Railway Station
Location: Darjeeling District, West Bengal
Altitude: 2,258 m (7,407 ft) → Highest in India
Opened: 1881
Railway Line: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Gauge: 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge
Operator: Northeast Frontier Railway
Trivia: The station is so cold year-round that steam locomotives form giant white clouds at the platform!

🪙 Why This Matters

Ghum is not just a railway station, it’s a living engineering museum at high altitude. Built by British engineers without modern machinery, the DHR route still defies gravity with tight loops and steep gradients.

It is one of the only mountain railways in the world to run a daily operational schedule at this altitude.

🔍 Fun Trivia

The famous Batasia Loop lies just 2.5 km below Ghum, built to manage extreme elevation gain.
Ghum Railway Museum near the station showcases the world’s oldest functional narrow-gauge steam locomotive.
Winter mornings at Ghum often see sub-zero temperatures, and frozen steam around the locomotive pipes!

🧞‍♂️ SpotGenie

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