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Railways/Route Kms

Kalka-Shimla - The former 'Summer Capital' of the Raj, Shimla is an important destination for holiday makers. Come summer or snow, tourists rush to Shimla either to beat the heat or to catch snow flakes drifting down. Four premium services for travellers on the Kalka-Shimla section are available.

The deluxe Rail Motor Car
The Shivalik Deluxe Express
The Shivalik Palace (Tourist Coach) and
The Shivalik Queen Tourist Coach

The Deluxe Rail Motor Car is a visual delight as it resembles a bus of the Second World War vintage. Carrying 14 passengers at a time, it reaches its destination in 4.25 hrs. The car is fitted with a transparent fibre-glass roof, for a clear view of the sky and if one is lucky, one can look up at the rain or snow without getting soaked. Digital time-cum-temperature display unit, altimeter and route indication board gives valuable information while travelling

The Shivalik Deluxe Express is a connecting service to Howrah-Kalka Mail for Shimla. It accommodates 120 passengers and reaches its destination in 4.45 hrs. The coaches are equipped with wall-to-wall carpeting, wide glass windows and reversible cushioned chairs. Improved lighting and a music system creates a pleasant atmosphere

The fare for both Deluxe Rail Motor Car and Shivalik Deluxe Express is Rs. 340/- with a complimentary meal at the pictureseque Railway Station Barog

The Shivalik Palace Tourist Coach provides a luxurious ambience for a dream holiday. It can accommodate a part of six persons and is equipped with folding cushioned bed, refrigerator, on-board-kitchen and dining table with cushioned chairs. Booked for a tariff of Rs. 4790/- in the up and Rs. 3495/- in the down direction, fare includes complimentary accommodation of two luxurious retiring rooms at Shimla for the day and free meals enroute.

A comparatively late entrant on the Kalka-Shimla section is the Shivalik Queen, which is a luxury coach. It is divided into two portions consisting of two coupes each. The coach is equipped with ultramodern facilities and fittings like wall-to-wall carpets, altimeter, fancy lights, chrome plated luggage rack.

Ooty (Udhagamandalam)

Mettupalaiyam - Ooty - It was in 1854, that the first plans were made to build a mountain Railway from Mettupalaiyam to the Nilgiri Hills. But it took the decision-makers 45 years to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and complete the construction and installation of the line

The line was completed and opened for traffic in June 1899. It was operated first by the Madras Railway under an agreement with the Government.

The Madras Railway Company continued to manage this railway line on behalf of the government for a long time until the South Indian Railway company purchased it. The line was extended to Ootacamund from Coonoor some time in 1908 on the same gauge over a distance of 11 and 3/4 miles at a cost of Rs. 24,40,000.

The steepest gradient on this line is 1 in 23 and there is no rack on it as provided between Coonoor and Mettupalaiyam.

The Railway line from Mettupalaiyam to Ooty is 45.88 km. long and lies partly in Coimbatore District and partly in Nilgiri District of Tamilnadu, on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Mettupalaiyam is at the foothills with an elevation of about 330 metres and Udagamandalam (Ooty) on the plateau with an elevation of 2200 metres. The average gradient of this line is about 1 in 24.5.

The Railway line from Mettupalaiyam to Ooty is 45.88 km. long and lies partly in Coimbatore District and partly in Nilgiri District of Tamilnadu, on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Mettupalaiyam is at the foothills with an elevation of about 330 metres and Udagamandalam (Ooty) on the plateau with an elevation of 2200 metres. The average gradient of this line is about 1 in 24.5.

The gauge is laid to Metre gauge (1000 mm). The sharpest curve on the section is 17.5 degrees.

The track is made of 50 lb rails. There are 250 bridges on the section, out of which 32 are major ones and 15 are road over bridges.

There are 16 tunnels between Kallar and Ooty all of which are in excellent condition.

The section from Mettupalaiyam to Udagamandalam is provided with stone ballast and the cushion varies from 75 mm to 150 mm.

The Maximum permissible speed on Mettupalaiyam-Kallar and Coonoor-Udagamandalam "Non-Rack" system is 30 while between Kallar and Coonoor "RACK" section the maximum permissible speed is 13 kmph.The region covered by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway gets rainfall during the south-west and north-east monsoons. The average rainfall is of the order of 1250 mm at Udagamandalam, 1400 mm at Coonoor and 500 mm at Mettupalaiyam. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway keeps chugging despite the downpour
 

Darjeeling:

The most famous of the little trains, is the one linking the town the New Jalpaiguri in the plains to the lovely hill station of Darjeeling. With a 2 ft gauge, the Darjeeling Hill Railways is indeed a "toy train', being the narrowest of the regular narrow gauges. The tiny century-old engine is a connoisseur's delight.

The 86 Km/55 mile Darjeeling line has no tunnels, thus allowing the traveller an uninterrupted view of the breathtaking scenery of the Himalayas. The seven-and-a half-hour ride up, is a journey especially for rail buffs.

Access to Darjeeling:

New Jalpaiguri, the starting point of the hill train to Darjeeling, has direct connections to Darjeeling, has direct connections to Calcutta, Delhi, Guwahati and other places in India.

Major Trains to New Jalpaiguri:

Matheran:

Matheran-Hill Railway

Neral - Matheran - A hill resort at an altitude of 800 meters (average height of 2500 feet above sea level), Matheran is 110 km. away from Mumbai on Mumbai-Pune rail route. A narow gauge toy train from Neral (87 km. from Mumbai) meanders up the mountain, treating the tourists to a breathtaking view.

Mr. Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then Collector of Thane, discovered Matheran (meaning "forest on the top") in May 1850. Lord Elphinstone, the then Governor of Mumbai laid foundations of the future development of Matheran as a hill station. This 2-foot narrow gauge hill railway, connecting Neral was opened to traffic in 1907.

This hill railway was built by Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, who formed a limited company with an authorised capital of ten lakh rupees divided into 2000 shares. The railway is 20 km. (12.6 miles) long and has a gauge of two feet with a ruling gradient of 1 in 20. The track zig zags up the side of the hill, bringing into view the full beauty of the Matheran Hill.

There are four pairs of train running between Neral and Matheran. However, during monsoon i.e. June to September, only one pair of train is run to open timings.

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