Landslide stalls Kalka-Shimla rail traffic

Traffic on the Kalka-Shimla railway line was disrupted following a landslide near the Kaithlighat railway station, about 35 km from here, in the evening today. About 200 passengers who had boarded the two Kalka-bound trains from Shimla were stranded. Buses were requisitioned by railway authorities to take them to Kalka.

Shimla Station Superintendent Parveen Kumar said a part of the hill slided down on to the railway line leading to blockage of the track at about 7 pm. ‘‘Our first priority was to take passengers, numbering more than 200, to their respective destinations for which buses have been requisitioned,’’ he said.