The Nilgiri Mountain Railway remained suspended for a second consecutive day on Saturday after heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides, rockfalls and uprooted trees along the track between Coonoor and Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district.
The Salem division of Southern Railway said continuous downpours, particularly in and around Coonoor, had affected sections of the railway alignment. Train services between Mettupalayam and Udhagamandalam, commonly known as Ooty, have been cancelled in both directions while railway personnel work to clear the tracks and restore the route.
The suspension affects the full Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam section of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a historic mountain railway that links the foothills with the Nilgiri hill settlements. The line is widely associated with tourism, but its operational role extends beyond leisure travel. According to the report, the service is also used by plantation workers, school children and residents living in remote settlements across the Nilgiris.
The disruption therefore affects more than a tourist attraction. The railway’s track follows a mountainous route where heavy rainfall can bring down rocks, mud and trees onto the alignment. When services are cancelled, communities that rely on the line for access between Mettupalayam, Coonoor and Udhagamandalam lose a transport option while restoration teams assess the safety of the route.
Southern Railway personnel are currently carrying out track-clearance and restoration work. The railway has not announced a specific date for resumption in the supplied report. Services will remain cancelled in both directions until the affected sections are cleared and the route is considered operational.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway carries historical, engineering, tourism and cultural significance, but the latest suspension highlights the practical challenge of maintaining rail connectivity in a rain-prone hill environment. Its alignment serves a dispersed population as well as visitors, making the condition of the tracks directly relevant to everyday movement in the district.
Further updates on restoration and the resumption of train services are expected from the Salem division of Southern Railway after clearance work on the affected sections is completed.
