Trial run of railbus operated from Mettupalayam to Kallar

An official from the railways said that, “The run was assessed by engineers and have suggested certain modifications. It would be sent to the Golden Rock Workshop at Tiruchirapalli for refurbishing. The seating of the bus and other features will be decided only after a final study.”

The self-propelled railbus was operated with a diesel engine. It will again be hauled with a steam loco on Thursday. The Salem division of the Southern Railway has planned to operate the rail bus between Coonoor-Udhagamandalam sections as a shuttle service. The railbus was brought from South Central Railway to Mettupalayam on 9 November.

“It has a seating capacity of 60; however, the railway officials added that they could firm upon seating capacity only after receiving the expert opinion and studying the pulling power of the bus,” the official added.

The railbus was so far operated only in the plains of Gujarat. “The trial run conducted between Mettupalayam and Kallar is not so steep, whereas a further upward journey has steep gradients. And it needs to be tested well before arriving at a decision,” the official said.

The feasibility of the rail bus to run manoeuvring curves and tunnels on the NMR section will be studied quite a few times before finalising its operations.