Coimbatore: The daily Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) service from Mettupalayam to Coonoor has been suspended today owing to a boulder that fell across the railway track, leaving tourists disappointed.
Coimbatore: The daily Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) service from Mettupalayam to Coonoor has been suspended today owing to a boulder that fell across the railway track, leaving tourists disappointed.
Heavy rains had lashed Mettupalayam, Kallar and Nilgiris this past month, through which the NMR line runs. Owing to the northeast monsoon, heavy downpour caused frequent landslides along the railway tracks. Kallar, Adderley and Hillgrove reportedly experienced heavy downpours last night, following which a landslide occurred between Adderley and Hillgrove railway station, which resulted in a huge boulder falling across the railway track and damaging it.
As a result, the NMR train that was en route to Coonoor was hatled in the middle of the forest, since track repair work was being carried out. Since moving the huge boulder away was taking more time than expected, the NMR train which had 150 passengers on baord was sent back to the Mettupalayam railway station. The train was first stopped at Kallar railway station to ensure the passengers were transported to Coonoor through a Government bus that was arranged by the Railway administration.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is a metre gauge railway in Tamil Nadu built by the British in 1908. The railway is presently operated by the Southern Railway and is the only rack railway in India. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The site then became known as Mountain Railways of India.
Heavy rains had lashed Mettupalayam, Kallar and Nilgiris this past month, through which the NMR line runs. Owing to the northeast monsoon, heavy downpour caused frequent landslides along the railway tracks. Kallar, Adderley and Hillgrove reportedly experienced heavy downpours last night, following which a landslide occurred between Adderley and Hillgrove railway station, which resulted in a huge boulder falling across the railway track and damaging it.
As a result, the NMR train that was en route to Coonoor was hatled in the middle of the forest, since track repair work was being carried out. Since moving the huge boulder away was taking more time than expected, the NMR train which had 150 passengers on baord was sent back to the Mettupalayam railway station. The train was first stopped at Kallar railway station to ensure the passengers were transported to Coonoor through a Government bus that was arranged by the Railway administration.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is a metre gauge railway in Tamil Nadu built by the British in 1908. The railway is presently operated by the Southern Railway and is the only rack railway in India. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The site then became known as Mountain Railways of India.