Admirers of Nilgiri Mountain Railway celebrate its 109th anniversary

Udhagamandalam: Lovers of the famed Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) celebrated NMR Day at the Ooty Railway Station on Sunday, marking the 109th year after the train chugged to the hill town.

Founder of Heritage Steam Chariot Trust (HSCT) K Natarajan surprised the passengers of the 12pm train by receiving them with sweets. Former chairman of atomic energy commission R Srinivasan cut a cake to mark the day.

"HSCT has been observing the NMR Day on October 15 since 1987 to create awareness about the heritage value of the train among tourists and local people," said Natarajan. "We also want to popularise the mountain train among the youth," he added.

Reiterating the long-time demand, Natarajan asked the railway "to observe the NMR Day officially".

Convener of INTACH -Nilgiris Chapter Geetha Srinivasan told TOI, "UNESCO had declared the train as a heritage site. A board with details of the declaration should be displayed at the Ooty station for the benefit of tourists."

However, Natarajan said the charm of the NMR is fading gradually. "No interest is shown by the railway authorities concerned to promote the Asia's steepest and longest meter gauge train," he said.

Ooty MLA R Ganesh, Rajya Sabha member KR Arjunan and railway officials attended the function.

NMR started its first journey on June 15, 1899 from Mettupalayam to Coonoor. It was extended to Fern Hill from Coonoor on September 15, 1908. The train service was extended to Ooty on October 15, 1908.

The NMR is one of the major tourist attractions in the Nilgiris. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on July 15, 2005 at the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting held at Durban.