Washington/Quebec City  - UNESCO on Monday gave the go ahead for India to add another rail line to its Mountain Railways of India World Heritage site - a stretch that served Shimla, the one-time British summer capital in India's north-west.

The Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge railway was approved Monday in addition to new sites in nine other countries that received the nod from the panel meeting in Canada.

Before the meetings began last week, UNESCO's World Heritage list included 851 properties, and another 41 are being considered during the eight-day session.

The Kalka-Shimla Railway, built in the 19th century, is a working link that transits 96 kilometres to the mountain town of Shimla.

Other railways in the Indian Mountain Railway heritage site include the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu State. (dpa)