Train services on the UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line completely resumed after nearly three months on October 2. The service was discontinued or halted as the railway line got damaged due to torrential rains, as per the railway officials.
The railway track was damaged at 20-25 points from Shimla to Kalka due to the rains in July and August. Massive damage to the track was incurred following heavy rains from July 7 to 14, after which the movement on this stretch was suspended. However, traffic was resumed partially on some stretches including Kalka-Koti stretch, Kalka-Solan stretch and Solan-Taradevi stretch.
But, landslides triggered by another spell of heavy rains in August swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging. The 96-km-long Shimla-Kalka Railway track had been laid in tough hilly terrain with 103 tunnels (now 102 tunnels as tunnel no 46 had collapsed, four decades ago), 800 bridges, and 919 curves along with negotiable gradient.
The track which gains altitude of about 1590 metres is a marvel of engineering and a tourist attraction. Known for its scenic view of the hills, the Kalka–Shimla Railway is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge railway built in 1898 to connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during the British Raj, with the rest of the Indian rail system. During its construction, 107 tunnels and 864 bridges were built along the route. The route consists of 919 curves, and the sharpest is 48°.
The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96-km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla is emblematic of the technical and material efforts to disenclave mountain populations through the railway.
On 8th July 2008, Kalka-Shimla Railway was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage under the name “Mountain Railways of India”.