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Himachal floods: Rail services on Kalka-Shimla route off track till August 6
Northern Railway has suspended traffic on the Kalka-Solan stretch of the heritage track to Shimla due to landslides and cave-ins caused by heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh. Train services on the Kalka-Shimla track were suspended on July 9 and will remain suspended until August 6. The track will be inspected after 21 days to determine if it is fit for operation. A total of 647 roads, including five national highways, are closed in the state due to landslides.
Northern Railway suspended traffic on the Kalka-Solan stretch of the 97-km heritage track to Shimla till August 6 due to landslides and cave-ins amid a yellow alert for more rain in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
The stretch from Solan to Shimla is on track and a trial run was conducted between the two stations.
Also read: One killed in Himachal flash floods, toll in rain fury at 122
Train services on the Kalka-Shimla track were suspended on July 9 after heavy rain triggered landslides.
Debris and trees damaged the track between Solan and Dharampur after landslides at Koti. There was water-logging between Dharampur and Kumarhatti and between Solan and Dharampur stations. Trees damaged the track between Dharampur, Salogra and Koti.
The track will be inspected after 21 days and if found fit for operation, train services will be resumed.
“We are exploring the possibility of running a local train between Shimla and Solan,” Mandeep Singh Bhatia, the divisional railway manager, Ambala, said.
Track repair was completed in most parts of the state with three trains, including the Vande Bharat Express and Sabarmati Express, reaching Una on Monday, nine days since the heavy rain disrupted services.
Track repair has been completed between Ropar and Daulatpur Chowk and an engine trial run was done on Sunday, said Una station superintendent Rohdash Singh.
The Mandi-Manali highway was closed after fresh landslides on Monday evening. The route to Manali via Kataula was closed due to a landslide at Kamand.
A total of 647 roads are closed in the state, including five national highways. NH-505 connecting Gramphu to Losar is blocked at Khandu Nullah, NH-3 from Kullu to Manali is blocked, and so are NH-21 due to landslides at Pandoh and NH-707 at Shilai.
As many as 1,115 electricity supply lines and 543 water supply lines have yet to be restored, the state emergency operation centre said even as the weather department issued a yellow alert for more rain in the state.
