Shimla-Kalka Toy Train Resumes, Months After Landslide Left Tracks Hanging

The iconic Shimla toy train resumed its scenic journey to Kalka on Tuesday, over a month after a section of railway tracks were left hanging in the air when a landslide swept away the earth underneath in Himachal Pradesh.

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 other 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 Railways, Ambala division

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 train services were resumed in portions with the Kalka-Koti, Kalka-Solan and Solan-Taradevi stretches made operational first.

Heavy rains and flash floods triggered landslides in Himachal Pradesh amid monsoon. More than 60 people were killed and several other went missing after the incessant rain fury in the hill state, earlier this year. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu had said the state suffered a loss of nearly Rs 10,000 crore due to the rains and landslide.