The Nilgiri Mountain Railway / Ooty Toy Train. Review on Ooty

This write up is purely based on my experience. During this trip, we decided to travel by NMR from Ooty to Mettupalayam.

Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam: Starts at 7.10 am and reaches Ooty about 12 to 12.30 p.m.

Udagamandalam to Mettupalayam: Starts at 3.00 p.m and reaches Mettupalayam at 6.30 p.m.

Travel to Udhagamandalam Railway Station: From Charring Road Cross to Ooty Railway Station, taxi fare is minimum and the auto fare is Rs.30.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway travel is really heart throbbing if you’re a nature lover. We travelled by this train on 30.03.2009. The NMR winds its way through many curves and 16 tunnels and chugs along beside deep ravines full of vegetation, streams, grinder bridges and numerous tea plantations. Many movie songs have been shot in this train. The beauty of this journey is in the ride, the view, and of course, the steam engine. The nature just unfolds her beauty and you are just into it. If you are lucky enough, you get to see few wild animals too on either side. We got to see a pair of elephant, a bison and few monkeys.

However, ticket booking is similar to other conventional trains. Tickets can also be booked in advance on the net through https://irctc.co.in. First class tickets in this train would costs around Rs.152/-.

In the first class compartment there are only 8 seats; so the congestion is minimum and one can have a glimpse of both the sides. If you are lucky enough to get into the first compartment of first class boggy, that is 1-8(seat numbers), and if your seating is facing the engine, you’re considered extremely lucky.

The crowd waiting to get into the train is enormous than you imagine. All are not tourists; but majority are. Most of the villagers commute to and fro by this train. For many villagers it is a daily routine journey between Ooty and Mettupalayam. Passenger tickets were issued from 12 O’clock. By 2 O’ clock itself, the authorities, tied a rope from one end to the other of the platform. This was for those who do not have reservation but having a passenger ticket. You need to stand in the queue by the side of the rope with your bag and baggage like an obeying school kid. The gesture of the authorities is highly appreciable as one need not need to rush by pushing the fellow men. The waiting list chart also was quite lengthy, and I was wondering where all these people could be accommodated.

The train started exactly at 3 O’ clock and the journey took exactly 3 hours and 40 minutes to reach Mettupalayam, with a stop of about 20 minutes at Coonoor. You get vadai, mirchi baji, tea etc. in this station.

From Ooty, the main stations are Lovedale, Ketti, Aruvankadu, Wellington, Coonoor, Kateri Road, Runneymede, Hillgrove, Adderly, Kallar, Mettupalayam - Junction with the Broad Gauge line from Coimbatore. There is a small locomotive shed here and the carriage workshops. Passengers wait in the same platform for the Nilgiri Express.

The passengers who get down from the toy train to be headed for Chennai(Nilgiri Express) with reservation are lucky as they get their train to their destination soon. Infact Nilgiri Express waits for Toy Train if it is late. I could see the ‘rope system’ again for passenger ticket holders who are to be headed for Coimbatore by Chennai Nilgiri Express. They also are supposed to take the same train. The fare is Rs.30/- to Coimbatore by Nilgiri Express. There is no other passenger train after that to Coimbatore. I was frightened to see the long queue again passengers with fat bag and baggages.

For Bangaloreans, there is no connecting train from Mettupalayam. If you need to head for Coimbatore either you should board the Nilgiri express or take buses which are frequent.

The bus stand is less than 10 minutes walk from the Mettupalayam Railway Station. If your luggage is light, it is walkable otherwise auto rickshaws are available for Rs.20/- Frequent bus services available for Coimbatore; the fare is Rs.10.50 ps.

Have a pleasant journey and gala time.