Joy ride in the Shimla hills on heritage toy train
New Delhi: The Railways have always been in the forefront of nation building by creating better travel and tourism opportunities in a region. In this regard, the Railways has effectively contributed towards enhancing tourism facilities in the state of Himachal Pradesh by providing greater impetus to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kalka - Shimla Hill Railways.
The Kalka Shimla Railway is a very long-established and ambitious narrow gauge mountain railway project built by the British in India. It required a great deal of engineering development work and took twenty years to complete, largely because of the difficult mountainous terrain and climatic conditions. The railway line connects the towns of Kalka and Shimla. Kalka is situated at the foothills while Shimla the erstwhile summer capital of British India and now the state capital of Himachal Pradesh, is situated at a whopping height of over 2000m in the Shivalik Region of Himalayas. The 100 km long track has 102 Tunnels, the longest being 1,144 m at Barog, 869 Bridges, 18 Stations and 919 curves on it. To this day the property is one of the best-preserved mountain railways in India and remains much as it was at the time of its completion. In addition to its engineering infrastructure, it has retained its stations, signalling system and more importantly its old colonial charm. On 8th July 2008, UNESCO bestowed the World Heritage Site Tag to the Kalka – Shimla Mountain Railways in India.
Shimla blessed with exuberant climate all throughout the year and verdant natural beauty coupled with its proximity to major North Indian cities has a huge tourist influx in all seasons. The Kalka – Shimla Train is a major tourist attraction and a trip to the region is considered incomplete without a ride on the Hill Train. Northern Railway offers multiple choices of train services which include Rail Motor Car, Shivalik Palace, Shivalik Queen and Shivalik Delux Express. 'Jharokha' and 'Vistadome coach' have been added to popular services. The section is abuzz with free wifi provided at all stations.
To fortify the tourist facilities during the ongoing summer season a limited period Joy Ride Train between Kalka and Shimla (52459/52460) has also been initiated. The train is in operation to provide an alternative for catering to the extra rush of Shivalik Delux Express. It is conveniently timed keeping in view the arrival and departure of the highly patronized Kalka Mail. The rail travellers can book tickets for the summer special train from the Railway ticket counters, IRCTC web portal and authorized travel agents to enjoy a ride on the scenic section. The 52459/52460 Kalka-Shimla-Kalka Summer Special Toy Train is being operated on a daily basis as per the following schedule:– The 52459 Kalka-Shimla Summer Special Toy Train departs from Kalka at 5.10 am to arrive at Shimla at 09.50 a.m. on the same day. In the return direction, the 52460 Shimla-Kalka Summer Special Toy Train departs from Shimla at 05.25 p.m. to reach Kalka at 10.05 pm the same day. The 52459/52460 Kalka-Shimla-Kalka Special Toy Train stops at Barog station in both the directions. The train covers the distance of approximately 100 km between the two
towns in four hours and forty minutes. The rail travellers can avail this.
