Himalayan Queen toy train to be back on Shimla-Kalka track from October 15

Arrangements are being made to adopt proper social distancing norms and sanitisation at the railway station.

The Northern Railways will be restarting the seven-coach Himalayan Queen toy train on the Shimla-Kalka heritage railway track from October 15, more than seven months after rail services were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Station superintendent at Shimla Railway Station, Prince Sethi, said the train will depart from Kalka at 12:10am and reach Shimla at 5:20pm. It will leave Shimla at 10:25am and reach Kalka at 4:00pm. “Arrangements are being made to sanitise the station and four people will be deployed on the train to clean and sanitise the coaches,” Sethi said.

Besides, arrangements are also being made to adopt proper social distancing norms and sanitisation at the railway station.

Tourism Industry Stakeholders Association president Mohinder Seth said the railway track is very important for Shimla and is likely to help in providing a much needed boost to the tourism and hospitality sector. “In the last six months, tourism industry has witnessed massive losses due to the pandemic and it will take a little time to get things back to normal,” he said.

Built in 1903 during the British Era, Kalka-Shimla railway track is 96km long and goes through 18 railway stations, over 880 bridges and more than 100 tunnels. It was declared as a World Heritage Railway Line by UNESCO in 2008.