Rail trail

The Kalka-Shimla rail journey can be counted among the most unforgettable rail experiences...

New Delhi | May 14, 2009 11:31 PM IST

3 min read

Kalka-Shimla Railway: A world heritage site
The Kalka-Shimla rail journey can be counted among the most unforgettable rail experiences. Construction of the Delhi-Ambala-Kalka section commenced in 1890 by the Delhi Umballa Kalka Railway Company (DUK) and the complete section was opened on March 1,1891. The management of the line was given to the East India Railway. With the extension of the railway line till Kalka,a need was felt for extending it till Shimla,the then summer capital of British India. Shimla had been declared the summer capital of British India in 1864,during the viceroyalty of John Lawrence. DUK commenced construction in 1901 for a two-feet gauge railway. However,it was later changed to two-and-a-half feet gauge. Two years later,the Kalka Shimla Railway (KSR) was opened for traffic on November 9,1903. In 1906,because of a serious financial crisis faced by DUK,KSR was taken over by the government. On April 1,1926,the entire Shimla-Delhi section of 360 km was purchased by the Indian government and transferred to the state-managed North Western Railway. After Partition,this section became a part of the Eastern Punjab Railway before being finally taken over by the newly formed Northern Railway on April 14,1952.

The hill journey commences from Kalka situated at 2,143 feet above mean sea-level and climbs all the way to Shimla at 6,808 feet through 18 intermediate stations. The train passes through 919 curves in its entire journey,the sharpest being curve no-48.

In its early years KSR had 107 tunnels. Some of these later got defunct and at the time of renumbering,in the 1930s,the number of tunnels came to 103. Tunnel number 46 exists no more,so KSR today has 102 tunnels,which cover roughly eight per cent of its tracks. Just after the Koti station,train enters tunnel no-10. Popularly called Koti tunnel,at 2,276 feet,this is the second longest tunnel on KSR.

From Koti,the train climbs 5,020 feet to enter Barog Tunnel (tunnel no-34). Constructed over a period of three years,between 1900 and 1903,this 3,752-feet long tunnel that crosses the Punchmunda ridge about 900 feet below,is the longest narrow gauge tunnel in the world today. An interesting feature of KSR is the multi-arched stone bridges that resemble Roman aqueducts. Out of a total 869 bridges that cover 3 per cent of the line,only two are steel girder bridges. One of the most photographed multi-arched bridge is bridge no-541,popularly known as Kanoh Viaduct. Constructed in 1898,this 52.9 metre-long bridge has 34 arches. After Kandaghat the train again climbs uphill to Shoghi at 6,010 feet. From Shoghi,one can get great views of the Chail Valley. Banished from Shimla by the British,Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala established his own hill station of Chail. After this,the train stops at Taradevi station. The famous temple of Taradevi is a short distance away. Past Taradevi,the train goes under Prospect Hill through Taradevi tunnel (No-91) to Jutogh,winding its way to take a pause at Summer Hill station.

In the final lap of the journey the train passes through the 1,135-feet long Inverarm tunnel (No-103) to arrive at Shimla station. Built in 1903,this station has been accorded a heritage status by the Indian Railways. In 2008,UNESCO conferred world heritage status to KSR.
VIKAS SINGH,RAIL ENTHUSIAST
Courtesy National Rail Museum

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