General Manager, Northern Railway, AK Puthia conducted an inspection of Kalka-Shimla heritage railway section. During his day long inspection, Puthia inspected curve no. 14 between Kalka and Taksal, tunnel no. 13 and its side drain, catch water drain, curve no. 343, point and crossing at Barog Railway Station et al. Besides this, Puthia also inspected level crossing no. 5A near Solan railway station, bridge no. 541 and cutting and gang no.16.
The Kalka Shimla NG Railway section described by The Guinness Book of Rail Facts and Feat as, ‘The Greatest Narrow Gauge Engineering in India’ is a UNESCO inscribed world heritage site since 2008, listed under ‘Mountain Railways of India’.
The 96.60 km long section was opened for traffic on November 09, 1903, having been constructed on record period of four years preceded by five surveys. This is an engineering feat of highest skills comprising 102 tunnels (tunnel no. 33 near Barog station is the longest tunnel) and 869 bridges including Roman aqua viaduct arch galleries. Bridges no. 226 (near Sonwara Railway Station), bridge no. 493 & 541 (on Kanda Ghat-Kanoh section) are the most spectacular arch gallery bridges of this section. Similarly, Crow Borough rest house (built in 1921), Wood Bank officer’s rest house (built in 1920), Shimla station building (built in 1921) are some of the heritage structures of special significance on KSR. It is believed that Baba Bhalku, a local, who was believed to possess some extraordinary engineering skills, helped the British engineers to lay down this track. It is said that this track has been constructed, exactly on the traces revealed by Baba Bhalku. In dedication to his services, railway has named the KSR museum as Baba Bhalku Rail Museum at Shimla.
There are total 919 curves on the section. The total number of the station on the section are 18. It covers its journey by rail car in four hours and ten minutes, by Shivalik Deluxe four hours and forty-five minutes and by passenger train in five hours and thirty mins. Putting the rails on arduous slopes of Shivalik hills, that too, in hostile conditions more than 100 years ago, makes Kalka Shimla railway the finest example of greatest narrow gauge engineering skills. It is salute to both man and mountains, as great things happen when two meet.
While undertaking the inspection Puthia issued necessary directions to the divisional officers for value added passenger services on the section. Puthia was accompanied by the principle heads of department viz a viz chief safety officer, Naveen Kumar Shukla, chief signal and telecom engineer, Akhil Agrawal, principal chief engineer, RK Agrawal and divisional railway manager, Ambala, Dinesh Kumar.