A toy train that once catered to little visitors of Balodyan now remains stranded with its revival awaiting a crucial financial sanction. Nagpur’s only toy train ‘Vanbala’ has remained suspended since January 2025. The Forest Department’s proposal seeking funds to go ahead with award of tender to RITES for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for its complete overhaul has been pending with the State Government since mid July. Till the DPR is prepared, the next stage of the revival plan remains uncertain.

 

The Forest Department has completed the necessary proposal submission process to Conservator of Forest (CF) and to Eco Tourism Board and till date the funds are not sanctioned. The Maharashtra Eco-Tourism Board has approved the proposal in-principle at its 38th meeting on May 29, 2026, following which the Department submitted its funding proposal to the Government on July 13. Dr Vinita Vyas, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nagpur Region, said the Department have submitted the proposal to the State Government after obtaining approval from the Maharashtra Eco-Tourism Board for preparing the DPR. Once the required funds are sanctioned, we will proceed with the preparation of the DPR and initiate the subsequent process,” she said. The proposal comes against the backdrop of repeated interruptions in Vanbala’s operations over the years. The train, which began running in 1978, faced technical problems between 2016 and 2023 before resuming services in December 2023 after major repairs.

 

However, the revival proved short-lived. Services were suspended again in January 2025 after concerns emerged over the condition of the ageing tracks, which date back to 1975. According to the Forest Department, the wooden, non-standard tracks had started sinking into the ground, raising safety concerns. Minor repairs undertaken in May 2025 failed to establish that the system was fully safe for public use, and the train has remained closed since then. Following a public interest litigation (PIL) in October 2025, the department was directed to engage Central Railway and RITES, a Government-owned public sector undertaking, for technical assessment and restoration-related work. Both agencies inspected the tracks on January 9, 2026, and the department subsequently informed the court that steps towards restoration were being initiated. RITES later offered to prepare the DPR, inspection report and feasibility report. The proposed redevelopment envisages a complete overhaul of the train and tracks, with modern coaches and standardised tracks, on the lines of Van Rani at Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.

 

The DPR will establish the technical requirements and feasibility of the proposed redevelopment. Its preparation, followed by the necessary approvals and tendering process, must precede the execution of the work. Until the financial sanction is received, however, the next stage remains pending, and no definite reopening timeline has been established. Given the current drought like conditions is the utmost important business for Government, the policy makers priority is focussed on urgent financial needs to avert agrarian crisis. For the same other projects are temporary put on hold-up, said the Government officials. Once the situation eases, the DPR for Vanbala could get nod.