Mumbai: Toy train service at Sanjay Gandhi National Park likely to resume soon

The toy train service at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP in Borivli is likely to resume within a day or two as the replacement part is expected to arrive soon forest department officials told midday on FridayThe iconic lsquoVan Rani toy trainrsquo returned to SGNP on March 14 2026 after a fouryear closure however barely 10 days after its inauguration the services were suspended after a shaft connecting the engine to the coaches broke down due to the undulating terrainThe affected sections have been repaired and levelling work is currently underway said the officials adding that ldquominor issues are expected during the initial trial phaserdquoAuthorities blame companySince the said work was implemented by RITES Limited and the company that supplied the train Khodal Corporation Ahmedabad is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the technical issues regarding the track and train this office has taken the matter seriously and has immediately contacted both responsible persons The technical team of the company has been given clear instructions to be present at the site examine it and resolve the problemsDid the train derailKids from Pune wanted to ride the toy train ride PICBY SARTHAK MEHTASGNP Deputy Director South Kiran Patil clarified ldquoThis is a misleading message being circulated At a few spots the tracks have slightly sunk as they were laid after the monsoon This led to minor undulations at one or two locationsrdquo Officials at the SGNP main gate are informing visitors about the temporary suspension of the trainOfficial SpeakOn March 23 during the regular safari of the mini train in the evening it was noticed that some technical problems were arising along the train track Instructions were given by officials to take immediate action in this regard said a forest officerPiyush Goyal steps inUnion Minister of Commerce and Industry and North Mumbai MP Piyush Goyal has directed SGNP authorities to ensure immediate resolution of the technical issues affecting the lsquoVan Rani mini toy trainrsquoRegular followupRegular followup is being done by the SGNP authorities in order to put both trains into service Also a meeting has been organised with the agencies concerned on March 28 under the chairmanship of the Conservator of Forests and Director SGNP to implement longterm measures to prevent such problems from arising in the futureVoicesAnurupa Mitra Pune residentlsquoWe three moms brought our kids to the park but we were disappointed to find that the new toy train was closed for maintenancersquoSagir Shaikh Mulund residentlsquoWe were not informed at the main entry gate that the toy train was shut for maintenance we were here with our kids specially for the train as it had just opened after years but unfortunately we found it to be closedrsquoDilip Mourya Goregaon West residentlsquoWe only came for the toy train and didnrsquot expect that they would have shut it so soon We got to know at the entry gate that the train is closed for repair My relatives and I had taken out time off our busy schedules for this trip but it was a failure We paid 113 each for entry and didnrsquot like anythingrsquoDays train remained operational after inaugurationNine days March 14 to March 222646Total ridership in nine daysRs 291LAround Revenue earnedAlthough the toy train services were inaugurated on March 14 2026 SGNP officials in a press statement claimed that the operations had commenced earlier on January 6 2026ldquoThe toy train had started in January following all the final safety trials in December 2025 The train remained operational from January 6 to March 23 with regular ticket sales Only the formal inauguration ceremony took place on March 14 The train has gone under maintenance since March 23 We are expecting Vanrani to resume service from March 28rdquo a senior forest official told middayTrain operational since January 6 2026Total ridership 15556Total ticket revenue Over R13L