Railway company suspends trains on historic Kalka-Shimla line after ‘cracks’ in bridge: ‘What will happen during monsoon…’

On Friday evening, June 21, cracks appeared on a railway bridge, resulting in all train services on the historic Kalka-Shimla route being suspended the following day.

“Yesterday, some officials came and checked the railway bridge and found cracks. We hope the government will try to restore the tracks as soon as possible,” ANI quoted Summer Hill Municipal Councillor Virender Thakur as saying.

As a preventive measure, authorities suspended train services on the Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge railway line beyond Taradevi on June 22. This development came after a railway bridge was washed away during the monsoon last year, officials told PTI.

According to a railway official, four out of seven trains have been cancelled. He said, “Four out of seven trains have been cancelled while two trains are running up to Taradevi and one up to Kandaghat,” PTI reported.

“We wonder what will happen during the upcoming monsoon season,” said MK Seth, president of Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders Association, given the huge influx of tourists during the ongoing summer season.

The update on cracks on the railway bridge comes just a day after cracks appeared on the Atal Setu Sea Bridge. Authorities claimed that the cracks were not on the bridge but on the Ulwe road in Navi Mumbai.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu connects South Mumbai with the satellite city of Navi Mumbai and is also known as the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL). It was inaugurated in January this year and cost ₹17,840 crore. The 21.8 km long, six-lane bridge was built by the ruling BJP in collaboration with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

MMRDA in an official statement stated that there are no cracks in the main portion of the Atal Setu Bridge. The statement said that these are minor cracks. “During the inspection on June 20, 2024 by the Project Operation and Maintenance Team, minor cracks were observed at three places on the asphalt of Ramp No. 5 from Ulwe to Mumbai which require immediate repair. M/s Strabag, the contractor of Package 4 of Atal Setu Project has started the repair work in the said area and the work will be completed within 24 hours without any disruption to traffic on the bridge.”

(With agency contributions)