Boulders land on tracks, Nilgiri Mountain Railway services hit

COIMBATORE:  Tourists were disappointed as the Mettupalayam -Ooty train service on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) was suspended for two days after boulders fell on track due to a landslide near Hillgrove station on Monday morning, triggered by heavy rains in the region for the last few days.

The train commenced at Mettupalayam railway station at 7.10 am and was expected to reach Udagamandalam at 12 pm. However, upon reaching the second station,  Adderly, at 8.15 am, the loco pilot noticed that a portion of the track between Kallar and Hillgrove was blocked by mud and boulders that rolled down from the hills due to heavy rains.  As a result, the train was operated till Mettupalayam. This dashed the hope of over 100 tourists.

An official from the Salem Railway division said, “We have refunded the ticket ampount to 140 tourists and arranged bus services to facilitate them to reach Udagamandalam. However, Coonoor to Udagamandalam trains on the NMR track operated as usual.

Salem Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) A Gautam Srinivas told TNIE that engineering team members have been clearing the mud and boulders near the Hillgrove station to resume the train service as soon as possible. “To prevent such landslides in future we have decided to construct a retaining wall along the track near  Hillgrove,” he added.  Officials also informed that the service will remain suspended on Tuesday.