|
Soon after
the introduction of railways in India, Shimla came into
limelight because of a proposal to construct a rail line. It
is also interesting to note that intensive surveys were
carried out before the actual work began. The first of these
survey was carried out in the year 1884 followed by another
one the very next year. On the basis of results obtained
from these two survey, a project report was prepared and
presented before the government of India in the year 1887.
After plenty of brainstorming, an adhesion line for the
route was preferred to the rack system. Initially, in the
year 1898, when the contract was signed, the rail line was
supposed to be only two feet broad. However, later with the
insistence of the military authorities, the guage breadth
was increased to the standard 2 feet six inches. Finally,
the route was opened for traffic in the year 1903.
The Shivalik Deluxe Express provides for a seating
arrangement of 120 passengers. The coaches are well
furnished with wall to wall carpets and glass windows
enhancing the overall look. Moreover, light music playing in
the background creates an atmosphere that is engrossing. The
train takes around four and a half hours to complete a
journey from Kalka to Shimla. Enroute, the train passes
through 103 tunnels, 969 bridges, 919 curves and twenty
railway stations. Apart from few stations, the train sweeps
past other station very quickly. At Barog station, the train
halts for fifteen minutes so as to allow the passenger to
get down and enjoy some refreshments in the restaurant which
is regarded as one of the best at any hill station in India.
The entire journey (96 km) is laced with magnetic beauty.
Rising from Kalka at 640 m, the rail track reaches Shimla
which is at a height of 2060 m. The train twists its way
uphill slowly to enable the passengers to enjoy the
mesmerising beauty around. The best of the scenes around can
be seen at Kushalya River, Koti, Barog, Kanoh and Jabli,
1,240 meters above sea level. Out of 103 tunnels that the
train crosses, only four are big ones. The Barog tunnel
takes about three minutes to be crossed completely. The
other three important tunnels include Koti, Taradevi and
Tunnel no 103.
The train departs from Kalka at 0530 hrs and reaches Shimla
at 1015 hrs. The return journey from Shimla starts off at
1730 hrs and reaches Kalka at 2215 hrs.
Routes covered
Kalka - Barog - Solan- Shimla |
