Nilgiri Mountain Railway holds an unusual record; Guess what it is
ET Online|
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Steepest Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway holds a rather unusual record, apart from being the slowest train journey. The 20-kilometer slope between Kallar and Coonoor on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu is the steepest Mountain Railway in Asia, the railways ministry said in a tweet.
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Increasing heights
The slope is one-of-a-kind in Asia with a gradient of 1.12.28, the ministry said. This mean, for every 12.28 feet the train travels, the height or altitude increases by 1 foot. This is why it is also the slowest train in India.
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Slowest
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is the slowest train in India. Travelling at 9 kilometres per hour speed, the 'toy' train covers a distance of 46 kilometres in five long hours! This is roughly slower by 16 times than the fastest train in India.
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Vacation in itself
"The only rack railway in India runs from Mettupalayam to Ooty scaling an elevation of 326m to 2203m in a time span of five hours. Travelling by Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a vacation in itself as the enticing long journey promises the opportunity to witness panoramic views in abundance," says the Ooty Tourism website.
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Since 1908
Since 1908 people have been travelling through the single track railway to experience the unique journey to Ooty. The exclusive toy train was built by Britishers who travelled to the magnificent hill station seeking relief from the heat and enjoying its salubrious weather. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Timings
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway train leaves Mettupalayam at 7.10am and reaches Ooty at 12 noon. During its retuen, the train starts from Ooty at 2pm and reaches Mettupalayam at 5.35pm, according to IRCTC. The main stations along its route are Coonoor, Wellington, Aravankadu, Ketti and Lovedale.