CHANDIGARH: Indian Railways has suspended four toy train services on the 94-km Kalka-Shimla railway line, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for 10 days until August 5 amid continuous monsoon rains and the risk of frequent landslides, in a bid to avert inconvenience to commuters.
Confirming the suspension of the four toy train services for 10 days, a senior railway official from the Ambala Railway Division said a notification in this regard had been issued by the Railway Board. The suspended services include the 52451 Shivalik Deluxe Express (Kalka-Shimla) and its return service, the 52452 Shivalik Deluxe Express, as well as the 52459 Kalka-Shimla Express and its return service, the 52460 Shimla-Kalka Express.
The partial disruption of rail traffic has been necessitated by repeated landslides that have affected the smooth movement of trains. Besides, low passenger occupancy on these services has also contributed to operational losses. Consequently, the Railways took the decision while prioritising passenger safety. However, four other trains will continue to operate regularly on the Kalka-Shimla route.
During this year's monsoon season, rail traffic has faced several disruptions. On July 3, a landslide on the Kathlighat-Kano section temporarily halted train operations. The Shivalik Deluxe Express, travelling from Shimla to Kalka with 107 passengers on board, was stranded in the affected section while restoration work was carried out. The restoration took several hours, delaying the movement of other trains on the route. Railway staff arranged three buses to transport passengers to Kalka, resulting in additional expenditure and inconvenience.
The UNESCO World Heritage narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla railway line is frequently affected during the monsoon, with heavy rainfall triggering landslides that disrupt train services.
Meanwhile, 108 roads remain blocked across Himachal Pradesh after being damaged by torrential rain.
According to the evening bulletin issued by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), of the blocked roads, 39 are in Mandi, 33 in Kullu, 11 in Shimla, nine in Sirmaur, seven in Chamba, five in Kangra and one in Una district. Besides, nine distribution transformers and 38 water supply schemes remain disrupted across the state. Of the affected transformers, four are in Shimla, three in Kangra and two in Chamba. Among the disrupted water supply schemes, 22 are in Shimla, seven in Hamirpur, four in Bilaspur, three in Chamba, and one each in Kangra and Mandi districts.
Heavy rain is very likely to continue across the state until August 2, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue orange and yellow alerts. For July 28, an orange alert has been issued for Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts, with very heavy to heavy rain expected at isolated places. A yellow alert has also been issued for Shimla, Solan and Mandi districts, where heavy to moderate rain is likely at isolated locations. Light rain is expected in the remaining parts of the state.
