Train Services Back on Track after ‘Rainwreck’ on UNESCO World Heritage Site Kalka-Solan Line – News18

Over two months after heavy rains caused huge damage to tracks, train services on the Kalka-Solan route, a UNESCO world heritage site, were resumed on Wednesday. Two trains were allowed to ply on the line after 72 days. The first train which took off from Kalka at 4 am and reached Solan at 7.15 am had no passengers, but the second one which took off around 12.10 pm from Kalka and reached Solan around 3 pm had many passengers, including foreigners.

Series of disasters

The rail services were suspended on this 96-km line since July 9 after colossal damage caused at 175 locations on the track owing to major hill slips, embankment slips, fallen trees, and heavy boulders.

Despite the suspension of the rail services, there was no let-up in the enquiries received by the staff from the passengers.

Since the Kalka-Shimla National Highway was damaged due to a plethora of landslides in July and August, the residents were eagerly awaiting for the rail services to resume.

The train services are being restarted in phases with trains initially having plied up to Koti from Kalka on September 10. Officials informed that they proposed to resume the service till Shimla by September 30.

Trains have remained suspended on the track since July 9 when a major part of the track was inundated between Dharampur and Parwanoo at Koti and Sanwara following incessant rains. Fifteen passengers travelled on July 9 in the first uphill train which took off from Kalka at 4:30 am and reached Solan at 7:20 am. The service was suspended thereafter.

About the track

A passenger experiences an extreme elevation from 655 metres at Kalka to 2,076 metres by the time he reaches Shimla, traversing through the narrow gauge track meandering across 102 tunnels after one was discontinued.

With 864 bridges, the track is an engineering marvel constructed during the British era to connect to its summer capital Shimla.