After six miles train reaches Sukna station (511 ft) from where the real ascent begins. Here the train normally stops for the engine to take water. From here the blue mountain ranges of the foothills are visible and the train quickly rises from the plain passing through tea gardens and forest of teak and sal. The railway line is laid more or less on the same alignment as the Hill Cart road, which criss-crosses the line at several locations. The line between Sukna and Darjeeling is almost all along located on the road-bench either skirting or on the far edge of the road except at a few locations where the road and rail formations are on different level and follow a different alignment. Out of a total of 87.48 km, around 64 km are on the same road bench. The actual climb starts encountering steep gradients and curves all the way long. There are some peculiar features to be marked during the journey. The train passes through dense forest and it chugs along the hill slopes and at places where a clear path is not available. From Sukna the train has to climb for more than 890 feet in just seven kms to reach the next station Rangtong. Towards the end of this stretch there is a steep gradient.