Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday urged visiting Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal to increase the speed of British-era Kalka-Shimla and Pathankot-Jogindernagar trains in the state.

He said the train's on Kalka-Shimla was only 25 km per hour. He urged the Union Minister to make the railway coaches more attractive so that more and more tourists could like to travel through the Railways.

Thakur requested the Union Minister to build commercial complex-cum-multi storied car parking on the land owned by railway authorities near old bus stand in Shimla so that this could be used for parking.

The Chief Minister also urged Goyal to speed up the work on Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri railway line, an official statement said.

Goyal told the Chief Minister that speed of the trains on these tracks would soon be increased from 25 km to 35 km per hour and efforts would be made to further increase it up to 50 km per hour. 

He said efforts would also be made to construct commercial complex-cum- parking space near old bus stand at Shimla. -IANS