Himachal: KalkaShimla toy train partially resumes operations; Tourists thrilled as scenic heritage route reopens

The service had been suspended for over a week after torrential rainfall triggered a landslide, washing away the soil beneath a section of the heritage track near Parwanoo in Solan district.

While direct trains from Kalka remain suspended due to ongoing repairs on the damaged section, railway authorities permitted partial services after confirming the safety of the route from Dharampur onwards. The initial closure forced the cancellation of six passenger train services, severely disrupting regional travel and local tourism-dependent businesses.

Despite the minor detour requiring road transport between Kalka and Dharampur, tourists expressed excitement over the journey's resumption.

Sarvesh Yadav, a tourist from Delhi, shared his thrill after completing the trip. "I had long planned to enjoy this toy train ride. But then we received a message stating that we could continue our journey and that the train would be available from Dharampur to Shimla. So, we came to Kalka, took a bus from there to Dharampur, and continued the journey from that point... It was quite an adventure... The view is magnificent. Id give it a ten out of ten. I used to visit Uttarakhand before, but seeing this, I feel like Ill keep coming back..." Yadav told ANI.

Another traveller, Deepak, who had booked his tickets a month in advance, noted that securing quick bus connectivity made the transition seamless. "The track damage caused us some inconvenience because we couldn't go directly from Kalka. We had to travel to Dharampur first. However, we got a bus conveniently from there, so that wasn't an issue, and the journey from Dharampur to here was completely smooth. Everything went just as we had hoped and expected. Since childhood, we had always wanted to take this trip, it was a long-held wish, so travelling on it for the first time felt like quite an adventure..." Deepak told ANI.

The partial resumption has brought much-needed relief to local vendors and transport operators, who faced a week of lost earnings.

Bhanu Gautam, a local taxi operator, highlighted the community's reliance on the heritage line. "We operate taxis from here, sir. This track has been closed for about seven to eight days, due to which we have become completely idle. Currently, we have no work, nor are we able to drive our taxis. Because of this railway track being damaged, we now hope that since the train has arrived today and reached Shimla, business might open up. So all of us operators here hope for the arrival of this train. From next month, the tourist season is also starting; about 15 days are left for it to begin because foreign tourists now start coming to Shimla. We hope that the repair work ongoing on this track moves a bit faster, and the train service continues uninterrupted," Gautam told ANI.

Railway authorities continue repair efforts on the Parwanoo stretch to fully restore end-to-end services from Kalka in time for the upcoming peak tourist season. (ANI)