NEW DELHI: A plan to increase the speed of the Kalka-Shimla toy train to 30kmph and reduce travel time from six hours to four hours has hit a hurdle owing to geographical and technical challenges, railway officials indicated on Monday.
The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96.6-km long, single track working rail link built by the British in 1903, was awarded UNESCO’s world heritage site status more than a decade ago.
“If the speed of the toy train is increased, it will attract more tourists as well as generate more revenue. However, it looks unlikely,” one official said asking not to be named. The official added that a study has flagged several technical challenges such as steep curves, gradient and absence of space.
According to the official mentioned above, the northern railways contracted the transporter’s research wing, Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in 2018 to assess if the speed of the Kalka-Shimla train could be increased, following a request from the Himachal Pradesh government.
A second official familiar with the matter said a final decision on the project will be taken after the RDSO study is complete. “This terrain had 62 landslips in 2022. Because 90% of the track is full of curvatures, with the sharpest being 24 degrees, it is not technically feasible to increase the speed further,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}A second official familiar with the matter said a final decision on the project will be taken after the RDSO study is complete. “This terrain had 62 landslips in 2022. Because 90% of the track is full of curvatures, with the sharpest being 24 degrees, it is not technically feasible to increase the speed further,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}The railways spokesperson was not available for comments on the development.
However, the railways’ plan to replace the coaches of the toy train for the first time in its 118-year operation is on track and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, a third official said.
The German manufacturer Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB)-designed coaches, which will be used on the Kalka-Shimla route, are “lighter in weight, [provide] better safety, higher carrying capacity and speed potential as compared to the old Integral Coach Factory (ICF) model coaches,” said the official, requesting anonymity.
As many as 30 new-generation LHB coaches will be manufactured for toy trains, the official added.
Apart from Kalka-Shimla, India operates four more toy trains — Darjeeling Himalayan railway, Nilgiri Mountain railway (Tamil Nadu), Matheran Hill railway and Kangra Valley railway (Himachal Pradesh).