First toy train crosses Plate Girder Bridge in Himachal's Shimla after nearly 3 months

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 2 (ANI): Following the successful trial on the Plate Girder Bridge in Himachal's Shimla which collapsed due to floods in August, the first toy train departed after almost three months on Monday.
The trains were stopped on July 7 on the Kalka-Shimla heritage line after the track was damaged at several locations in Himachal Pradesh in Solan and Shimla districts. Two trains were resumed on September 26 till Taradevi.
“We did successful trials yesterday on this bridge as it collapsed on August 14. The NDRF was doing rescue operations, so we started restoration on August 26 and after completion, the first train departed to Kala today. Now the department would decide to resume all trains, the route is good to run the track and we have run the first train successfully today," Randhir Singh, Senior Section Engineer Northern Railway said.
The local residents were also delighted as the train resumed after the damages caused due to the floods. The local councillor of Shimla Municipal Corporation Virendra Thakur from Summerhill ward said that it was a tough time and now this train would be easy for locals and revive the tourism business in the region.
"I am thankful to the Railway authorities that they have completed restoration. Over 200 people were working here to restore this railway bridge which collapsed. Now it is good that people will be able to commute by train, the roads are damaged till Dharampur, and people feel safe to travel by train which has been restored today," said Thakur.
"It will definitely help the tourism business in the days to come. The railways have restored the bridge but still, the electricity supply on the streets of this area needs to be restored,” he added.
The first train arrived in Shimla on November 9, 1903; all the steam engine run trains used to come here until 1970, and after 1970, all trains were being run through the diesel engine.
The Kalka Shimla railway line was declared UNESCO's world heritage line in 2008. It has been a great tourist attraction after these tourists would rush through this train in the hills.
This first Vista Dome coach was attached to one of the regular trains in December 2018 and was started in December 2019 on a regular basis. This year, due to the rain, floods, and damages, the train was stopped on the Kalka-Shimla railway line on August 7, and finally, the toy train arrived here.
On August 14, the railway bridge collapsed at Summerhill, and lines were damaged at several locations between Summerhill and Solan. After the restoration, the train was resumed until Taradevi railway station. (ANI)