Home » Nation and Beyond » Landslide disrupts Kalka-Shimla rail line; two trains cancelled
Train services on the Kalka-Shimla railway line were disrupted on August 18 following a landslide reported between Gumman and Koti stations in Himachal Pradesh, railway authorities confirmed.
The landslide occurred at kilometre 11/7-8 between Gumman and Koti around 3:15 pm. Train No. 52458, bound for Koti, reached the station at approximately 3:28 pm but was short-terminated due to the obstruction.
The Engineering Department estimated that it would take around four to five hours to restore the track. Consequently, Train No. 52454, scheduled to depart Shimla at 5:45 pm, and Train No. 52456, scheduled to depart Shimla at 6:40 pm, were both cancelled between Shimla and Kalka on the same day.
Railway and engineering teams commenced clearance and restoration work to remove the obstruction and resume normal train operations on the heritage Kalka-Shimla route. Once the track is restored, affected train services are expected to operate from Shimla towards Kalka.
Meanwhile, heavy monsoon rainfall and fog affected large parts of Himachal Pradesh on August 18. The state has recorded 197 fatalities during the 50-day monsoon disaster period since June 30, including 81 deaths caused by rain-related disasters and 116 from road accidents. Economic losses have exceeded Rs 1,000 crore amid the sustained heavy rainfall.
According to the latest data from the State Emergency Operation Centre issued on the evening of August 18, 88 roads remained blocked across Himachal Pradesh as of 5 pm, a decrease from 105 blocked roads earlier that day. Mandi district remains the worst-affected with 32 blocked roads, followed by Kullu with 25 and Sirmaur with 10.
This story is written by TNM Bureau with inputs from ANI. The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]