In view of the heavy rush to the popular tourist resort town of Shimla, the Indian railways has started a special train.
There are already five toy trains operating on this 96-km narrow gauge heritage track. The holiday special is now the sixth on this mountain route. It arrives in Shimla at noon.
The first holiday special left Kalka on Saturday. Railway officials say the new train is running full.
Besides tourists from across the country, foreign tourists also head to the hills of Himachal Pradesh to escape the intense heat of the plains.
Even though trains on the Kalka-Shimla heritage track take much longer than a car or bus journey, the toy train is still preferred by many, particularly by foreigners, as it offers scenic views.
The narrow winding track was built during the colonial British rule. Lord Curzon, British viceroy, started the first train in 1903. The track rises from 650 m in Kalka to almost 2,100 m above sea level in Shimla. It passes through 103 tunnels, 969 bridges, 919 curves and 18 railway stations.
Unesco accorded the world heritage status to this century-old-route a year ago.
