Himachal: Railways did a trial run of the engine
Himachal Pradesh: Railways has conducted trial runs of engines for restoration of trains in Kangra valley. Sources said that trials with coaches will be conducted between Kangra and Nurpur Road (Jasur) stations in a day or two. But debris on the hill at km 84, where a large portion of the track was washed away due to landslides this rainy season and the toll plaza site at km 86 are still a cause of concern. “The NH authorities have not shown the required concern considering the gravity of the matter,” sources said. Meanwhile, Kangra MP Rajiv Bhardwaj has said that he will take up the matter with NH authorities to restart the toy train, which has been closed since June last year, as soon as possible. The two trains currently running between Baijnath and Kangra stations are likely to get extended to Nurpur Road soon.
Sources said that the railway authorities are in no mood to take any risk in view of the piles of stones and broken safety walls on the national highway being constructed along the rail track near Ranital. They have deployed two watchmen on the national highway and two on the track to ensure extra security whenever a train passes through this risky spot. Railway officials blamed the national highway for this unusual delay, saying that if they had cooperated on time, trains would have started much earlier. PC Vishwakarma, one of the strongest voices for the restoration of trains, said, “Trains on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge line have been running smoothly since 1929, but trouble started from 2014.” He has blamed the railway officials for their “non-serious approach”. According to him, this historic track is the lifeline for hundreds of villages, which depend on it. It remains to be seen when the trains resume their operations, blowing their whistles to reach Nurpur Road (Jasur) beyond Kangra.
