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Nilgiri Mountain Railway


The Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu were practically inaccessible to the common traveler until the advent of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway or NMR. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway connects the hill town of Ooty with the town of Mettupalayam which is located just at the foot hills. Using the Abt system, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is the only rack Railway in the whole of India.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway covers a total distance of about 46 Kilometers to Udhagamandalam and takes an approximate time of four and half hours to do the same. There are five stations at which the Nilgiri Mountain Railway stops between Mettupalayam and Coonoor, these are, Hill Grove, Runnymede, Kateri, Kallar, and Adderley. From Coonoor to Ooty the Nilgiri Mountain Railway used to stop at five other stations, Aruvankadul, Ketti, Wellington, Lovedale and Fren Hill but in the recent past the last one has been closed down.

Ooty Train



The meter gauge Nilgiri Mountain Railway have tracks which are made of 50 lb rails. On the path of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway there are a total of 250 bridges. While 32 of them are important and major bridges and 15 are small over the road bridges. Between Kallar and Ooty the Nilgiri Mountain Railways passes through 16 tunnels and from Mettupalaiyam to Udagamandalam, the lapse is dotted with stone ballast and the cushion which vary from 75 mm to 150 mm.

A journey on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway cruising through the natural beauty of the Nilgiri Mountains. The virgin forests and the misty mountains seems to welcome the travelers to the land of eternal beauty.



Last Updated on 9/20/2011