Shimla is well linked by air, road and rail with all sections of Himachal Pradesh, and the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and the Union territory of Chandigarh. Covering the area of 18 sq. km. at a height of 7,238 ft. Shimla is surrounded by pine, deodar, oak and rhododendron forests. A narrow-railway links Kalka with Shimla. This important rail-link was built in 1924 and its "toy trains" still ply between the two stations, passing through 105 tunnels and beautiful rail-road stations. Half-way through the journey, after Solan, the lights of Shimla flow in the distance, looking like glimmering jewels studding the dark green of the mountains. The train takes six hours, and at every stop of the journey are smiling faces giving a warm welcome.
By Air
Nearest airport is Jubbarhatti, 23 km from Shimla. It has connecting flights to Delhi and Kullu. The nearby Chandigarh airport is, however, more convenient as it is connected to all the major airports in India. Following is the schedule of flights from and to Shimla.
By Rail
There is not very many rail routes in the city. The only train plying between Shimla and Kalka joins them through railways. Shimla is well served by train connections as Shimla railway Station is just over a kilometer from the downtown as in the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT). Shimla has a narrow gauge railway line on which Toy Train runs from Kalka to Shimla. From Kalka one can take trains to other parts of India too. The Toy train from Shimla is of two types - one is the normal multi coach train and the other is the single car train, which has a glass roof giving an enthralling experience during the journey.
By Road
The wondrous city of hills is well connected by road to most towns within the state and all chief cities in Punjab and Haryana. Shimla is well connected by road with Kalka, Chandigarh, Ambala, Delhi, Dehradun, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Jammu and other towns of Punjab and Haryana. Shimla is on National Highway No: 22 (Ambala - Zirakpur- Kalka- Kaurik). The Road diverts from the Ambala-Chandigarh road at Zirakpur, 15 km from Chandigarh. At Zirakpur town you will see a prominently-marked diversion to the right. The Kalka-Shimla road is good, and many of the twists and turns have been straightened, but there are still stretches of roads where on coming traffic is not visible. The traffic is heavy during the peak season due to the presence of a lot of loaded trucks and buses.
