Arch railway bridge washed away near Shimla

An arch railway bridge of 5 span (1 span is 3.66 m long) between Summer Hill and Jutogh stations on the Kalka-Shimla heritage line was on Monday washed away after the incessant rainfall. A portion of the Shimla-Kalka heritage railway track that got washed away following heavy rainfall on the outskirts of Shimla, (AP) Officials said the incident took place around 8 am on Monday. No train was in the vicinity of the stations at the time. The section of the track now hangs in the air. Ambala railway division senior divisional commercial manager Naveen Jha said the engineers are yet to reach the spot due to no accessibility and full assessment could be carried out thereafter. Divisional railway manager Mandeep Singh Bhatia, meanwhile, said the track was also blocked at a total of 34 spots due to tree collapses, mudslides and other calamities. “Maintenance work could only be carried out at all locations once the rain stops. At the moment, our teams are trying to reach the sites,” he added. Operations to clear the track have remained suspended for over a month due to heavy rainfall. A single pair of trains started between Shimla and Solan to ferry local passengers has also been suspended till further orders.