Railways introduces pocket friendly experience on Kalka-Shimla section

CHANDIGARH: Travelling by the World Heritage Kalka-Shimla section could be a more affordable proposition now with the railways giving in to the demands of the passengers and also a bid to give a major boost to the tourism sector of this division. As per the new decision, the Ambala Division will run a self-propelled RA-100, Jharoka (CT/14) and Rail Motor Car (RMC) on the concept of allocating individual seat.In the earlier system tourists had to book the coaches which was termed unaffordable by the tourists.
The spokesperson of Ambala division, said that the tickets for all the three coaches can be booked through booking counters available at Kalka and Shimla railway stations. The coaches have been made available from June 13 to September 10 at present. “The period could be extended depending on the response,” said Divisional Railway Manager (commercials) Hari Mohan. The service of RA-100, Jharoka (CT/14) and rail motor car will be provided on demand and the service will run only when minimum 6 passengers are booked for each coach. Once 6 to 8 passengers book the coach then service shall be made available within 2 hours, said Mohan. Speaking about the salient features of the coaches, Mohan said that Self-propelled RA-100 will be Air Condition coach equipped with modular kitchen, attendant and crockery to feel like at home on wheels with Capacity of 8 Passengers.
Jharoka (CT-14) will be an air condition coach with plush interiors and eco friendly exteriors balconies on both sides with seating arrangement would be an unique experience. It has a balcony at both ends of the coach with a seating capacity of 4 in balcony otherwise the coach has a total seating capacity of 8 passengers. He said that all the three coaches will be operated over Kalka-Shimla section to promote the tourism and provide a great travelling experience over Kalka-Shimla section during summer vacations. Facility of RA-100 (self-propelled), Jharoka (CT /14 coach attached with train) and RMC (rail motor car) are available on full charter basis but due to less utilization and to capture the market during summer vacations these charter facilities can be permitted on demand of tourists between Kalka (KLK) - Shimla (SML) and Shimla (SML) - Kalka (KLK), he said. The timing for self-propelled and RMC will be two hours from the seat booking of 6th passenger or 1 pm, whichever is earlier. Whereas timing for Jharoka will be in morning at 8:15 am from Kalka and 08:15 am from Shimla.