Indian Railways is working on a full swing to complete the ongoing repair work and restore the train services on the Kalka-Shimla rail line by month-end. The 96-km long heritage railway track was severely damaged following the heavy rainfall in July. Last month, the railway track on a 50 m long bridge near Shimla’s Summerhill was washed away in a landslide, leaving a portion of the track hanging.
Recently, the railways has introduced special trains on the Kalka and Koti stretch of the narrow gauge rail line. Both the trains have been launched following the successful trial earlier this week.
Special Trains on Kalka-Koti section:-
The national transporter has decided to operate two pairs of Special trains between two stations – (a) The first Special train departs from Kalka at 07:00 hrs and arrives at Koti at 07:55 hrs. In return direction, the train leaves Koti at 08:37 hrs and reaches Kalka at 09:15 hrs. (b) The second Special train leaves Kalka at 15:00 hrs and reaches Koti at 15:55 hrs. On the return journey, the train departs for Kalka at 16:20 hrs and reaches the destination at 15:15 hrs.
Distance and Stoppages of Special trains between Kalka and Koti:-
During its 17 kms long journey, these Special trains will have their halt at Taksal and Gumman railway station.
DRM Ambala inspects Kalka-Koti section:-
On September 04, 2023, Mandeep Singh Bhatia, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ambala inspected the Kalka-Koti block of the Kalka-Shimla heritage railway section, alongwith other senior officials. During the inspection, the officials inspected the track restoration progress on the stretch. Bhatia also issued the necessary instructions for the officials and staff to complete track restoration work with full swing and use all safety measurements for safely train operation.
About Kalka-Shimla rail route:-
The Kalka-Shimla rail route is a part of Northern Railway’s Ambala Division. It was awarded a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on July 07, 2008. The rail route was built during British rule, to connect Shimla, the summer capital with the Indian rail system.