Shimla in brief
Shimla railway station (station code SML) is the upper terminus of the Kalka–Shimla Railway, one of the most famous mountain railways in the world. At 2,075 metres above sea level, the station serves Himachal Pradesh's capital. It falls within the Northern Railway zone's Ambala division.
The Kalka–Shimla Railway
The line opened on 9 November 1903 to connect the summer capital of British India with the main railway network at Kalka. It is a 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge line, which is why it is popularly called the toy train.
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | 96.60 km |
| Height gained from Kalka | 1,419 metres |
| Tunnels | 107 built, 102 still in use |
| Bridges and viaducts | 988 |
| Curves | 917 |
| Steepest gradient | 1 in 33 (3%) |
| Longest tunnel | Barog, 1,143.61 metres |
| Operational stations | 18 |
On 8 July 2008, UNESCO added the Kalka–Shimla Railway to the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site, alongside the Darjeeling Himalayan and Nilgiri Mountain railways.
The station
The first station building had wooden walls and a sloping galvanised-iron roof. It was rebuilt in 1921 as a double-storey brick building. The platform roof collapsed in 1944 and was reconstructed, and a 1986–87 redevelopment added 10 retiring rooms. Today the station has 2 platforms on 4 narrow-gauge tracks.
Notable trains at Shimla
Regular services between Kalka and Shimla include:
- Himalayan Queen
- Shivalik Deluxe Express
- Kalka–Shimla Express
- Rail Motor, a small single-coach railcar
Toy-train departures change between summer and winter, so the season's timings on the train timings page are worth checking before you plan. Discover more historic lines on our heritage trains page.
Riding to the summer capital
- Book early for summer and holiday weekends; the narrow-gauge trains have limited seats.
- The journey is slow and scenic; carry water and snacks, as stops are short.
- To travel by toy train, take a broad-gauge train to Kalka (KLK) and change there.
- The station is on Cart Road, below the Mall; taxis and porters help with the climb into town.