COIMBATORE: The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) trains between Mettupalayam and Ooty have been suspended from August 2 to 6 due to difficulties faced by the railway personnel in track restoration works following landslides.
The Nilgiris district and its nearby regions have been receiving incessant rainfall over the past few days. With the southwest monsoon season peaking, the Western Ghats have been witnessing heavy rains in recent times. The NMR trains between Mettupalayam and Ooty were suspended on Thursday after the rocks fell on the train tracks between the Kallar and Hillgrove stations due to landslides.
Railway workers began removing rocks from the tracks, but due to large debris and adverse weather, the clearing works have been delayed. Sources in the Railways said the train tracks have been damaged after the rocks fell upon them. The clearing of rocks and fixing and replacing the damaged tracks will be completed in the next few days.
Given this, the Mettupalayam-Udagamandalam train (06136), scheduled to leave Mettupalayam at 07.10 hrs, and the Udagamandalam-Mettupalayam train (06137), scheduled to leave Udagamandalam at 14.00 hrs, have been suspended from August 2 to 6. Apart from that, the Mettupalayam-Udagamandalam special train (06171), scheduled to leave Mettupalayam at 09.10 hrs on August 2 and 4, has been cancelled.
The Udagamandalam-Mettupalayam special train (06172), scheduled to leave Udagamandalam at 11.25 hrs on August 3 and 5, has also been suspended. Though the Mettupalayam-Ooty trains remain cancelled, the Coonoor-Ooty train will be operated. Passengers who have booked their tickets will be given a full refund of the ticket fare.