Train service on Kalka-Shimla track resumes up to Tara Devi

Sameer Singh

Shimla, September 26

The train service is set to resume on the heritage Kalka-Shimla track. Two trains plied between Kalka and Tara Devi station in Shimla after a gap of more than two-and-a-half months on Tuesday. The train services were suspended after the track was damaged at several locations following torrential monsoon rains and landslides.

Rs 15 cr sanctioned for repair

• The Union Ministry of Railways had sanctioned Rs 15 crore for the repair and restoration of the heritage track in August.
• The track had been damaged at 175 locations (as per the railways’ records). Besides, a bridge was swept away by a massive landslide at Summer Hill in Shimla. As per railways officials, the repair and restoration work has been completed and only final touches are left before the train services would be restored completely.

As per senior railway officials, train services on UNSECO World Heritage site Kalka-Shimla railway line are expected to resume fully from Kalka to Shimla within the next 10 days. After trials were conducted on Monday, two train plied to and fro on the Kalka-Shimla track on Tuesday.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) Naveen Kumar, Ambala division of the Railways, said, “We were expected to restore the railway line completely from Kalka till Shimla before September end but some glitches cropped up. If the work continues as planned, we shall be able to restore train services completely within next 7 to 10 days. The work to install a bridge at Summerhill, which was swept away by landslide, has also been completed.”

The train services on the heritage track resumed last week from Kalka to Solan on September 20. Now train plied from Kalka to Tara Devi station after a gap of 78 days.

The Union Ministry of Railways had sanctioned Rs 15 crore for the repair and restoration of the heritage track in August. The track had been damaged at 175 locations (as per the railways’ records). Besides, a bridge was swept away by a massive landslide at Summer Hill in Shimla.

Built during the British rule, the 96-km Kalka-Shimla railway line is not just an architectural marvel that meanders through the hilly terrain of Himachal Pradesh but it also provides a glimpse of the breathtaking vistas of the hill state while passing through 18 stations, 102 tunnels and 988 bridges on the way.