Bhubaneswar: Nandankanan Zoological Park authorities are all set to resume the toy train and ropeway services, two of the major tourist attractions of the zoo.
As per reports, the toy train will be inaugurated at Nandankanan zoo on October 8 i.e. during the Wildlife Week.
It is noteworthy that, the cost of the toy train project was around 3 crore rupees. The toy train joyride had been halted since 2014.
The toy train will have 4 bogies, which will accommodate as many as 72 passengers per ride. The ride will be for a time duration of 20 minutes.
The toy train, which began in 1985 with a 1.6km track, used to ferry as many as 60 visitors for a 20minute ride. The toy train was among the major tourist destinations of the zoo and used to attract around 1.5 lakh tourists every year. The service was stopped in 2014 after the state government cancelled its agreement with a private operator.
In another development, the zoo authorities also assured that the ropeway ride is also all set to resume in a year.
It is worth stating that, the ropeway service, which was introduced in 1994 to ferry passengers from the zoo to the botanical garden and passed over the Kanjia lake, was permanently shut down in February 2011 following concerns over its safety. Zoo officials said the cable and the cars would be completely new and the ropeway would have a length of 627m.
Ms Kalinga