Shimla-Kalka Toy Train Chugs Again, Months After Landslide Swept Away Tracks

Chandigarh: Himachal Pradesh's pride - the iconic Shimla toy train resumed its scenic journey to Kalka on Tuesday, over a month after a section of railway tracks was hopelessly damaged in a landslide that swept away the earth underneath and left them hanging.

The Kalka-Shimla Toy Train's train journey has been featured in many movies, including Jab We Met and in the song Gaadi Bula Rahi Hai from the movie Dost. Board the train from Kalka and immerse yourself in the expansive landscapes, rugged Himalayas, and a forest floor carpeted with leaves!

The 5-hour train journey which covers a 96-km mountainous stretch between Kalka and Shimla is also a UNESCO World Heritage attraction.

"The train services were suspended on July 10 after flash floods and heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh. The line was affected in 352 places and was repaired in record time. As of October 3, we have four trains running from Kalka to Shimla and four others running from Shimla to Kalka. We invite tourists to return to Shimla and enjoy their favourite toy train rides again," said Naveen Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) of the Northern Railways, Ambala division.

"..Restoration work was going on day and night, and around 200 workers were engaged in the work...I thank the railway authorities on behalf of the people of Summer Hill," says Vrindrer Thakur, Local Councillor of Summer Hill.

Rail services on the heritage rail line were partially suspended after severe damages to the tracks in July after monsoon rains. On August 24, a 50-metre-long portion of the track near Shimla's Summerhill was rendered unusable after a landslide left it hanging in the air, after which the services were suspended completely.

The restoration and repair work of the tracks went on in earnest and at a frantic pace. The train services were resumed in portions with the Kalka-Koti, Kalka-Solan, and Solan-Taradevi stretches made operational first.

Himachal Pradesh has in recent times become prone to heavy rains and flash floods that trigger landslides in the monsoon season. In July this year, more than 60 people were killed and several others went missing after the incessant rain fury in the hill state, earlier this year.

A total of 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state this monsoon season and about 9,600 houses damaged.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has pegged the state's losses at nearly ₹ 10,000 crore due to the rains and landslide.