Matheran has again emerged as the overall favourite tourist spot in Maharashtra on the Central Railway in 2022, as the narrow-gauge train passenger figure has crossed 3 lakh. The total revenue from April to December 2022 generated by the train stands at over Rs 2.2crore.

“The Central Railway has put in Herculean efforts to restore the Neral-Matheran track which was washed away in the heavy downpour in 2019. The entire 21km stretch of narrow-gauge line was finally ready and services were resumed on October 22, 2022. Prior to this only shuttle services between a small 2-km stretch of Aman Lodge and Matheran were in service carrying passengers and parcels. Now, passengers have welcomed back the toy train services—the Matheran Hill Railway—with unbridled joy,” Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said.