Nilgiri Mountain Railway is back with goody bag for tourists

Named ‘Heritage Steam Voyage’, the special train will cover a distance of 30 km between Mettupalayam and Coonoor. Summer specials were operated by the Railways until 2012 but were cancelled then. 

Now the railway has re-introduced the special acceding to the demands made by tourists and heritage enthusiasts. It will be operated only on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) until June 24, 2018. 

The train, with a total seating capacity of 132, will have three coaches: two will be a first and second class combo, while one compartment will be entirely second class. There will be no unreserved coach. With about 52 services, the summer special train will start from Mettupalayam at 9.10 am and reach Coonoor at 12.30pm with stops at Kallar and Hillgrove. In the return journey, the train will start at Coonoor at 1.30pm and reach Mettupalayam at 4.20pm with the same stoppages. 

To make the travel pleasant, the Railways has decided to serve refreshments. “On board the train, passengers will be served piping hot ‘Nilgiri’ tea, samosa, a tetra pack juice and water. Tourists will also be gifted a goodies pack comprising a bottle of eucalyptus oil, Nilgiri tea powder from TANTEA, a handout on heritage of NMR, a key chain, a paper bag, all valued at Rs 200,” said a railway official. The fare for the train has been fixed at Rs 1,100 for the first class and Rs 800 in the second class for a single trip between Mettupalayam and Coonoor. “Bookings have been encouraging and we expect demand to peak once exams are over and the holiday season begins,” said the official.  

While tourists found the train fare high, the railway official said they need to charge as much to at least recover the operating cost of the train.