The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) line built in 1908 
is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site as of July 2005. It runs between Mettupalayam and
Coonoor, a distance of 41.8KM. It takes almost five hours to cover the stretch
when going uphill and around 3.5 hours when going downhill - Mettupalayam
Station at 1,069 feet above sea-level is the starting terminal when going
uphill and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) Station at 7,228 feet above sea-level is the
terminus. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor Stations, the line uses a rack and
pinion system to climb the steep gradient. Even between Coonoor and Ooty, the
locomotive is always located at the Coonoor end even-though the rack-and-pinion
system is not used for that section - the gradient is still steep at 4% near
Coonoor compared to a maximum gradient of over 8% in the Mettupalayam-Coonoor
section. 
The line has the steepest track in Asia and features over 200 curves,
16 tunnels, and 250 bridges (some are midget sized!).
Related Posts:
Last Updated: 05/2014.
is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site as of July 2005. It runs between Mettupalayam and
Coonoor, a distance of 41.8KM. It takes almost five hours to cover the stretch
when going uphill and around 3.5 hours when going downhill - Mettupalayam
Station at 1,069 feet above sea-level is the starting terminal when going
uphill and Udhagamandalam (Ooty) Station at 7,228 feet above sea-level is the
terminus. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor Stations, the line uses a rack and
pinion system to climb the steep gradient. Even between Coonoor and Ooty, the
locomotive is always located at the Coonoor end even-though the rack-and-pinion
system is not used for that section - the gradient is still steep at 4% near
Coonoor compared to a maximum gradient of over 8% in the Mettupalayam-Coonoor
section. The line has the steepest track in Asia and features over 200 curves,
16 tunnels, and 250 bridges (some are midget sized!).
There is a general compartment in the trains on this line
but your best bet is to go with a reservation. Normally, tickets are open for
reserving three months in advance. Pricing is very cheap compared to
international standards. There are four daily trains in the Coonoor-Ooty
section compared to just one in the Mettupalayam-Ooty route. 
Special trains are
sometimes added in the Mettupalayam-Ooty route seasonally. We decided to do
just the Coonoor-Ooty round-trip this time and reserved as soon as tickets were
open in the IRCTC web-site (IRCTC's tourism by Rail site is an alternative for booking) and as luck might have it, got the first four seats
in the first class coach. The coaches are not that different, independent of
class but the first class coach has the advantage that it will generally be
less chaotic. Also, on the Ooty-Coonoor trip, you get to open the front windows
for a wonderful view of the valley, if you are among the first six seats.
Ticket pricing was around Rs 100 one-way compared to Rs 20 for a second-class
ticket. We did not have plans to stick around in Coonoor and so reserved for
the next available train back - the timings were 9:15AM from Ooty (UAM) to
Coonoor (ONR) on Train #56139 (UAM-ONR) arriving at 10:25AM and 10:40AM
departure from Coonoor (ONR) on Train #56136 (MTP-UAM) arriving at noon in
Ooty. 
This worked very well as the return train from Coonoor waits for the
arrival of the 9:15AM train from Ooty. There is a lot of chaos at Coonoor but
the idea is to get over to the other platform to catch the return train.
Special trains are
sometimes added in the Mettupalayam-Ooty route seasonally. We decided to do
just the Coonoor-Ooty round-trip this time and reserved as soon as tickets were
open in the IRCTC web-site (IRCTC's tourism by Rail site is an alternative for booking) and as luck might have it, got the first four seats
in the first class coach. The coaches are not that different, independent of
class but the first class coach has the advantage that it will generally be
less chaotic. Also, on the Ooty-Coonoor trip, you get to open the front windows
for a wonderful view of the valley, if you are among the first six seats.
Ticket pricing was around Rs 100 one-way compared to Rs 20 for a second-class
ticket. We did not have plans to stick around in Coonoor and so reserved for
the next available train back - the timings were 9:15AM from Ooty (UAM) to
Coonoor (ONR) on Train #56139 (UAM-ONR) arriving at 10:25AM and 10:40AM
departure from Coonoor (ONR) on Train #56136 (MTP-UAM) arriving at noon in
Ooty. This worked very well as the return train from Coonoor waits for the
arrival of the 9:15AM train from Ooty. There is a lot of chaos at Coonoor but
the idea is to get over to the other platform to catch the return train.
On the day of the trip, we arrived at Ooty railway station
around 8:30AM and already there was a good crowd. 
There is a terminal (kiosk)
just outside the entrance to the platform where you can check the status of
your reservation - this can be handy, if your original reservation was wait-listed (W/L). There is limited parking in front of the station for around
Rs 20 per day. If you need to kill time, walking across the railway track to
the area around the railway guest houses is a good option. For Train #56139
(UAM-ONR), the coach order was as follows - the locomotive followed by the only
first class coach, followed by a second class coach, and several general
coaches. 
The tickets for the general compartments can be purchased from the
railway counter on the day of the journey, but one will have to deal with the
big line (queue) - also there is no guaranty that tickets will be available by
the time you reach the front of the line.
There is a terminal (kiosk)
just outside the entrance to the platform where you can check the status of
your reservation - this can be handy, if your original reservation was wait-listed (W/L). There is limited parking in front of the station for around
Rs 20 per day. If you need to kill time, walking across the railway track to
the area around the railway guest houses is a good option. For Train #56139
(UAM-ONR), the coach order was as follows - the locomotive followed by the only
first class coach, followed by a second class coach, and several general
coaches. The tickets for the general compartments can be purchased from the
railway counter on the day of the journey, but one will have to deal with the
big line (queue) - also there is no guaranty that tickets will be available by
the time you reach the front of the line.
The journey itself was fantastic. The train moves at snails
pace and you get to relax while taking in the wonderful natural views along the
way. Some stations have snack and tea service although you will need to hurry
if you decide to go to the shack to get what you need as compared to waiting
for a vendor to come by. Highlights include several tunnels and bridges,
beautiful tea plantations along the valleys, and several churches dotting the
area. 
To complete the UNESCO World Heritage experience, one option to consider
is to purchase general compartment tickets at the counter, even if you do not
plan to use it - they still issue the old Edmondson style tickets as opposed to
the computerized print-outs that are used in the railway ticket counters in the
rest of the country.
To complete the UNESCO World Heritage experience, one option to consider
is to purchase general compartment tickets at the counter, even if you do not
plan to use it - they still issue the old Edmondson style tickets as opposed to
the computerized print-outs that are used in the railway ticket counters in the
rest of the country.
‘
The Mountain railways of India are a prime tourist
attraction in the country and consists of seven lines - four in the Himalayas
in North India, two in the Western Ghats in South India, and one in Assam in
the Barak river valley of Cachar Hills. 
Of these, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway
line, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway line, and the Kalka-Shimla Railway line
together are designated a UNSECO World Heritage Site.
Of these, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway
line, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway line, and the Kalka-Shimla Railway line
together are designated a UNSECO World Heritage Site. Related Posts:
- Ooty Toy Train - Nilgiri Mountain Railway - Trip Report.
- Coonoor Sunvalley Homestay Review.
- Ooty Trip Report.
Last Updated: 05/2014.
5 comments :
A wonderful report! Thanks.
Would like to have a suggestion from you, if I have to travel only one way by the toy train, will it be good to go from Coonoor to Ooty or vice versa?
Ooty-Coonoor is better, but not by much.
As mentioned in the article, if taking First Class tickets, there is an advantage if you get one of the first six reserved tickets - there is a window in front of that compartment and so the views are much better.
Hope this helps,
John.
Thanks John. Will be booking the tickets well in advance, hope to get the first line tickets!!
Seems you people really had a great experience on the toy train ride. Agreeably, it is an experience to be covered by everyone. The charm of nature and excitement of that diesel engine is awesome. We visited Ooty recently and here is a glimpse of our trip: http://www.expressions-kt.in/2016/02/nilgiri-mountain-railway-ootys-toy.html
Need to know if a wheelchair can get into the first class compartment and in Coonoor how do we get to the other platform to return to ooty
Post a Comment