Hill Slip Halts Shimla-Kalka Toy Train; Over 400 Passengers Safely Moved
A hill slip near Bridge 57 disrupted the Shimla-Kalka toy train on Saturday. Over 400 passengers were transported by road to Kalka.
Train services on the scenic Shimla-Kalka railway section were disrupted on Saturday after a hill slip occurred near Bridge Number 57, between the Koti and Ghumman stations. The incident took place at Km 7/16-17 on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed route, prompting Northern Railway to implement immediate safety measures.
As a precaution, four incoming trains were short-terminated at nearby stations. Train No. 52456 was halted at Solan, Train No. 52452 at Koti, and Train Nos. 52460 and 52454 at Dharampur Himachal.
To ensure passengers could continue their journeys, the zonal railway arranged a fleet of seven vehicles — five buses and two Tempo Travellers — to ferry travellers from Solan, Koti, and Dharampur Himachal to Kalka. In total, approximately 391 passengers, along with 40 train crew and IRCTC staff members, were safely transported to Kalka station. Officials noted that the convoy was personally escorted by Vipin Paudwal and onboard TTE staff to ensure passenger safety.
Upon arrival at Kalka, passengers were provided with around 250 food packets and drinking water. For onward connectivity, about 120 passengers were accommodated on Train No. 13052, which was specially rescheduled to depart at 1:30 am.
Railway officials stated that the entire operation was conducted smoothly, with no passenger complaints or refund requests registered at Kalka station.