Where the plains end
Kalka (code KLK) sits at the foot of the Shivalik hills, about 658 metres above sea level, where the flat country of Haryana gives way to the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. It is a classic break-of-gauge station: broad-gauge trains from Delhi terminate on one side, and the narrow-gauge toy trains of the Kalka–Shimla Railway start on the other.
One station, two states
Kalka town and its station are in Haryana's Panchkula district, but the mountain line leaves the state almost at once: within a few kilometres the toy train is climbing through Himachal Pradesh. Kalka is therefore the plains' last railhead before the hills.
Two openings
- 1891: the broad-gauge Delhi–Kalka line opens, bringing trains from the plains to the foot of the hills.
- 1903: the narrow-gauge line to Shimla opens for traffic.
- 1905: the mountain line, first built to 2 ft (610 mm) gauge, is regauged to 2 ft 6 in (762 mm), the gauge it still uses.
- 1999–2000: the Chandigarh–Kalka section is electrified.
The Kalka Mail
One of India's oldest trains ends its journey here. The Kalka Mail began running in 1866 between Howrah and Delhi and was extended to Kalka in 1891, carrying British officials and families towards Shimla, the summer capital. In 2021 it was renamed the Netaji Express in honour of Subhas Chandra Bose.
The toy-train side
From Kalka the narrow-gauge line climbs 96 km to Shimla through 102 tunnels. Small ZDM-3 diesel locomotives, 16 of them active as of May 2025, haul most toy trains, and the line is part of the Mountain Railways of India UNESCO World Heritage Site. KLK has 7 platforms on 9 tracks across both gauges.
Changing at Kalka
- Connections are timed so that broad-gauge arrivals from Delhi, such as the Shatabdi, meet departing toy trains; check both legs on the train timings page.
- A highlight further up the line is Barog, with its famous long tunnel.
- Pinjore's Mughal-era Yadavindra Gardens are a few kilometres away.