Landslides halt toy train service in Himachal Pradesh

A cloudburst that struck Himachal Pradesh has thrown the century-old toy train service out of gear.

Koti (Himachal Pradesh), Aug 17 : A cloudburst that struck Himachal Pradesh has thrown the century-old toy train service out of gear.

Introduced in 1903 during the British regime, the toy train runs on a narrow gauge along the upper reaches of Koti in Solan district.

A sudden downpour washed away the earth beneath the railway line on Tuesday, leaving around 350 meters of the track hanging.

It also caused heavy damage to the Koti station and as many as 40 breaches have been reported on the entire route.

"At first the cable came down, and then the water tank came crashing down as well. All the earth from up there started falling down along with trees and all came down and flooded the area," Sohanlal, an eyewitness said.

The signal room, stationmaster's office and residence, and staff quarters at the station were also damaged.

Repair work is in full swing in the area and the stationmaster said he hoped that the track would be repaired in a week's time.

"In the incident that took place here, the tracks have been damaged. Railway workers are working day and night to repair the tracks. Hopefully very soon it will be in a working condition," said Vinay Kumar, the station master.

This year's monsoon has till date taken 88 lives in the state.

Sutlej, the main river in Himachal Pradesh, has been in full spate due to heavy showers over the past few days. Its discharge has reached 1200 Cusecs of water which is well above the danger level.

Large areas in the Sutluj's catchment are faced with gushing, rising waters and possible threats of flooding.

ANI