<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-toytrain.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-toytrain.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-toytrain.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > File photo of the toy train (Photo: Anil Shinde/ TOI, BCCL Mumbai )

Tourists heading to the hill station of Matheran, near Mumbai, will not be able to see the iconic toy train in action for at least a year, authorities have said.

Heavy rains over the last couple of months have caused extensive damage to the narrow gauge rail tracks on which the toy train runs. Repairing the tracks will take at least a year, and during this time the train will remain non-functional.

Matheran has recorded over 5200 mm rainfall this monsoon against the normal 3038 mm. The hill station, located in the Western Ghats about 90 km from Mumbai, does not permit cars beyond a point. Hence, the toy train is a popular mode of transportation for tourists to get to the top of the hill from Neral, at the base—a distance of 21 km.

The bad news doesn’t end there. The Central Railways, which operates the Matheran Hill Railway, is reportedly looking into the long-term feasibility of operating the train. A railway official told The Times of India that the route doesn’t generate much revenue, and so the department is waiting for a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether continuing operations makes sense.

The toy train is shut during monsoons, from June to October due to the risk of heavy rains and landslides along the route, which passes through hilly terrain. However, authorities have made it clear that it simply won’t be possible to resume services any time soon.

This is not the first time the train’s operations had to be closed down due to heavy rain. After the July 2005 deluge, the hill railway was shut down until March 2007. The train has also seen frequent derailments due to sharp curves along the route and the fact that it is a narrow-gauge rail, which makes repairs more time-consuming.

The Matheran Hill Railway was built in 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy.