Kalka-Shimla rly should be UNESCO heritage site
Tribune India

New Delhi, July 8
The hill railways have completed a century of operations.In this
context, Northern Railways is very keen that the Kalka-Shimla railway
should be put up for UNESCO recognition.

The hill railways have unique features and when they were initially
laid, their conception, design and construction were feats of
engineering marvels, a character which they still retain.

With a view to giving more pace to the efforts, two films,
namely "Kalka-Shimla railway" and "Shimla Odyssey" have been produced
on the Kalka-Shimla railway. The films tell the saga of the Kalka-
Shimla railways, right from the discovery of Shimla to the rolling of
trains in the hill section.

The screening of the films was jointly organised by the Institute of
Rolling Stock Engineers and the Indian Steam Railway Society here
yesterday.

In a length of 96.6 km, the Kalka to Shimla line required 869 small
and 33 large bridges to criss cross the valley and ravines. The
bridges are stone brick masonary, with a few multi-arch gallery
bridges built like Roman acquaducts, some of which have been declared
heritage structures and a sight to behold, a lasting tribute to the
engineers.

From Kalka to Shimla, out of 107 tunnels that were bored there are
102 tunnels in operation, with 20 stations en route.

At one time before the advent of the Railways, only a few and
resourceful could manage to reach Shimla. Once a resort of the rich,
the Railways brought Shimla within the reach of the common man. — UNI