Coimbatore: In a bid to increase patronage to the Nilgiris Mountain Rail, the Salem division has requested the Railway Board to increase services and products of trains attaining the city from Mangalore and Madurai to Mettupalayam.
The move, if authorised, will allow passengers from Mangalore, northern portions of Kerala, Madurai and Dindigul to reach the Mettupalayam station without delay and take the NMR from there to Ooty.
“Many tourists come from Kerala and southern districts of Tamil Nadu to Ooty for vacations. But since they do not wish to keep converting trains, they steadily take a taxi to the hill station from Coimbatore. Then, they one after the other allot time to experience the NMR or skip it altogether,” said a railways official.
“Tourists who get off at Coimbatore need to take a neighborhood teach or a cab to the Mettupalayam station to board the NMR. It is not only bulky however pricey too, after they hire cabs,” he added.
The Nilagiri Express, sometimes called the Blue Mountain Express, which runs from Chennai to Mettupalayam, is the only long distance teach which takes passengers to the foothills of the Nilgiris Mountains. “The move to get extra long distance trains to increase their journey until Mettupalayam is to make it extra convenient for tourists heading to Ooty to take the NMR,” said Salem divisional railway manager Subba Rao.
The gauge conversion from Coimbatore north to Mettupalayam can even help extra long distance trains to get accommodated, said another official.
The railways has been operating to increase patronage of the NMR for the past two years. The NMR, which does just one shuttle a day uphill from Mettupalayam to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam and downhill, will get booked months prematurely. The department has been on the lookout for ways to increase trips, locomotives and revenues of the heritage rail.
The move, if authorised, will allow passengers from Mangalore, northern portions of Kerala, Madurai and Dindigul to reach the Mettupalayam station without delay and take the NMR from there to Ooty.
“Many tourists come from Kerala and southern districts of Tamil Nadu to Ooty for vacations. But since they do not wish to keep converting trains, they steadily take a taxi to the hill station from Coimbatore. Then, they one after the other allot time to experience the NMR or skip it altogether,” said a railways official.
“Tourists who get off at Coimbatore need to take a neighborhood teach or a cab to the Mettupalayam station to board the NMR. It is not only bulky however pricey too, after they hire cabs,” he added.
The Nilagiri Express, sometimes called the Blue Mountain Express, which runs from Chennai to Mettupalayam, is the only long distance teach which takes passengers to the foothills of the Nilgiris Mountains. “The move to get extra long distance trains to increase their journey until Mettupalayam is to make it extra convenient for tourists heading to Ooty to take the NMR,” said Salem divisional railway manager Subba Rao.
The gauge conversion from Coimbatore north to Mettupalayam can even help extra long distance trains to get accommodated, said another official.
The railways has been operating to increase patronage of the NMR for the past two years. The NMR, which does just one shuttle a day uphill from Mettupalayam to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam and downhill, will get booked months prematurely. The department has been on the lookout for ways to increase trips, locomotives and revenues of the heritage rail.
‘Run trains till Mettupalayam to boost patronage to NMR’
![‘Run trains till Mettupalayam to boost patronage to NMR’]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
June 03, 2018
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