Services on the Kalka-Shimla UNESCO Heritage Railway line have not been restored
All the toy train services couldn’t not restored after 11 days of flashflood and landslides on the UNESCO Kalka-Shimla Heritage Railway line between Jatogh and Summerhill however track was also damaged or disrupted by a landslide near Taksal at Tunnel no 1 and 2 other places.
According to a Railway Officer track couldn’t restored as about a 150-meter track hanging in the air near Shiv Baudi following flashflood and landslides at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. From August 12 to 14 IMD record around 230 to 250 mm rain during 48 hrs.
Besides this, a landslide also hit Taksal at Tunnel no-1 in district Solan last night. Tracks are also affected by flash floods and landslides at two to three places. Meanwhile, Railway booking centers at scandal points also have been issued an Advisory by the Shimla district administration to keep them closed as building housing reservations and booking centers were declared vulnerable to heavy rainfall.
No Railway Officer could confirm how long toy train services on narrow gauge 96 km heritage line would remained off. It is the first time in more than hundreds of years that no service could ply on the routes for the last 11 days.
The railway track was also affected by the uprooting of trees at several places. Normally Railway services seldom remained off the track even during heavy snowfall as the track built by the Britishers recorded so much devastation.
The historic, approximate 120-year-old Railway line was opened for public traffic on 9th Nov. 1903, It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Railway line on July 10, 2008, & listed under “Mountain Railways of India”.
