CPREEC - EIACP Programme Centre, Resource Partner on Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India

The Duars or Dooars is the local name of the floodplains and foothills of North Bengal that run from the Teesta River to the Sankoshi River, around Bhutan. Its name, as you might have guessed, comes from the word ‘door’, because they serve as a gateway to India’s friendly northern neighbour. Darjeeling, Siliguri and Jalpaiguri are a few of the prominent towns that fall within the Dooars. With the mighty Himalayan Mountains stretching across the horizon and dense, naturally diverse forests around it, the Dooars is a blessed and beautiful region. And it is going to get even more beautiful if a plan being formulated by the Northeast Frontier Railway is completed. 

With vast tea estates, lakes and sprawling meadows, the Dooars are naturally a massive draw for travellers to North Bengal. And the Northeast Frontier Railway plans to blend this natural beauty and magnificence with the heritage of the railways. Its new initiative plans will cover all the 21 railway stations in the region, upgrading them to make them better-looking and more comfortable for travellers. 

For instance, Sevoy railway station that serves the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary has already been renovated to look like a train. It is meant to evoke the feeling of a train waiting for the travellers to board. Meanwhile, free Wi-Fi services have been added to the New Alipurduar and Alipurduar Junction railway stations. Speaking to The Statesman, a railway official said that the new initiative would ultimately help the local economy. 

The foothills of the Dooars, which rise to heights of 90 to 1,750 meters, boast of pleasantly cool weather throughout the year. With the winter season setting in across India, the thick forests, rivers, streams and meadows of the Dooars will be even more irresistible.

Source: http://www.india.com/travel/articles/dooars-in-west-bengal-to-get-heritage-railways-upgrade/