KALKA
- SIMLA HERITAGE - GEOGRAPHY
News:
The story of the
Kalka-Shimla Railway
What's
in the news?
● The
more than 120-year-old Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) has sustained severe damage
due to the heavy rainfall in Himachal
Pradesh, and the section between the Jutogh and Summer Hill stations, just
before Shimla, has been washed away.
Kalka–Shimla
Railway Line:
● The
Kalka–Shimla railway is a 2 ft 6 in (762
mm) narrow-gauge railway in North India which traverses a
mostly-mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. Kalka railway station is located
in Haryana.
● The
railway was built under the direction of Herbert Septimus Harington between
1898 and 1903 to connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during the British
Raj, with the rest of the Indian rail system.
● The
narrow gauge “toy train” passes
through 18 stations, 102 tunnels, and over 988 bridges.
Tourism
Potential:
● It
offers majestic views for most of the route. Passengers see breathtaking
valleys, covered with pine, oak, and deodar trees.
UNESCO
Heritage Site:
● On
8 July 2008, UNESCO added the
Kalka–Shimla railway to the mountain railways of India World Heritage Site.