Kalka-Shimla heritage rail gets upgrade

Shimla, March 6 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday inaugurated various facilities on the heritage Kalka-Shimla railway line, like Vistadom coach, 160 kilovolt (KV) solar power plant and WiFi facility on all major stations on the route.He also opened renovated second class waiting room, new lighting, heritage engine and coach at the Shogi station, an official statement said.He said the railway track between Pathankot and Jogindernagar has been upgraded, which helped reduce travel time by about two hours. Similar efforts would be made to reduce travel time between Kalka and Shimla, he added.The Chief Minister said the Vistadom has been attached to train no 52453/54 and more such coaches would be ready in six months. "In three-six months, the train will run at a faster speed, which can reduce travel time by 30-40 minutes."Toy trains -- as they are popularly called -- run on the century-old Kalka-Shimla rail. Each train has seven coaches and can accommodate nearly 200 passengers.The 96-kilometres narrow-gauge railroad -- originally built to ferry Europeans to Shimla, then summer capital of British India -- was chosen by the UNESCO as a world heritage site in 2008.
--IANS vg/pg/pcj