Tracing the history of Kalka-Shimla railway, damaged by Himachal rain

Himachal Pradesh is reeling from death and devastation caused by torrential rains which triggered landslides and flooding in several areas. At least 74 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents since Sunday (13 August). The renowned Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) has also sustained damage, with a 50-metre bridge being swept away near Shimla’s Summer Hill on Monday amid the deluge. This left a section of the track hanging between the Jutogh and Summer Hill stations. As per PTI, the over 120-year-old Kalka-Shimla heritage line has been damaged in five or six places, the most affected being the stretch between Shimla and Shoghi. The scenic railway regarded as an engineering marvel has a rich history. As it comes into focus again, let’s take a look at how the track came to be. Tracing KSR’s history Shimla was declared the summer capital of India by the British Raj in 1864. With this, the viceroy and his council used to shift office from Calcutta to the hill station for seven months every year, as per an Indian Express report. However, this was an arduous 1,600-km journey by horse, elephant and bullock cart. Thus, the British conceived to build the Kalka-Shimla Railway. In 1889, Delhi-Umballa-Kalka Railway Company signed an agreement to construct the railway line. “As per the contract, the rail line was to be built without any pecuniary aid or guarantee from the government. The land was, however, provided free of charge to the company. The estimated cost of Rs 86,78,500, doubled during execution of the project,” Indian Express reported citing the PhD thesis The Development of Mountain Railways in India: A Study of R Priya of Chennai’s Ethiraj College for Women. [caption id=“attachment_13013912” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A steam engine runs on the Shimla-Kalka railway track on the outskirts of Shimla in 2008. Reuters File Photo[/caption] Initially planned as a 2-foot narrow-gauge railway, the line was later expanded to a wider 2 feet 6 inches gauge, as per the newspaper. In narrow gauge, the distance between the two rails, or the track gauge, is generally between 1 foot 11 inches and 3 feet 6 inches, noted Indian Express.  The story of Baba Bhalku Baba Bhalku, a local holy man, is considered to have played a key role in the construction of the Kalka-Shimla Railway. According to The Better India article, Bhalku assisted British engineer HS Harrington to build the longest tunnel – known as the Barog Tunnel today – of the railway track. Bhalku used his wooden staff to tap the walls of the mountain and listened to the sounds. He would then mark the points that helped the British engineers, who were unfamiliar with the terrain, to dig. The British employed Bhalku’s skills to construct the rest of the tunnels on this route, the article added. In 2011, the Himachal government named a museum in Shimla after Baba Bhalku acknowledging his efforts towards KSR. One of the plaques at Baba Bhalku Museum notes Lieutenant Colonel H Moore’s high praise for ‘Balkoo’. “All I can say is that I have known Balkoo for the last 14 years; that he is not only an excellent public servant but a highly esteemed and excellent man, whose charity and benevolence is known throughout the hills to all,” the plaque dated 17 October 1875 reads, as per The Better Indian. ALSO READ: Himachal Pradesh death toll rises: What is behind the hill state’s recent spell of rains? The iconic KSR The railway line finally opened in 1903 to connect Shimla with the northern plains. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the train line connects Kalka in Haryana with Himachal Pradesh’s capital. The track gains an altitude of about 1,590 metres, and has 919 curves. The 96.6 km long narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway, often called the toy train line, traverses through 18 stations, 102 tunnels, and more than 988 bridges. KSR is much longer than most narrow-gauge railway lines across the world. “They (the other railways) are roughly ten kilometres long, whereas the KSR is around 100 km long, with a total level difference of around 1,500 m,” Indian Express reported citing a 2008 paper by the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). The longest tunnel on the line – the Barog Tunnel (number 33) – lies between the Dagshai and Solan stations. “The most architecturally complex bridge is bridge number 226 which spans a deep valley that is enclosed on two sides by steep peaks. This bridge was constructed in five stages with each level having its own stone arched tier,” Indian Express cited Priya’s PhD paper as saying. [caption id=“attachment_13013962” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Kalka-Shimla Railway was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. PTI File Photo[/caption] During the nearly five-hour journey which begins at Kalka, travellers witness majestic views of valleys engulfed with pine, oak, and deodar trees along the route. According to a Himahc Pradesh government’s 2018 report, KSR has a Guinness Book of World Records “for its 96 kilometers steepest rise in altitude with crossover of 800 bridges and viaducts”. After the current damage, it remains to be seen when the heritage line will become operational again. As per NDTV, it would take at least a month to complete all the repair work on the tracks, which could cost about Rs 15 crore. With inputs from agencies