Journey's end in the Blue Mountains
Udhagamandalam station (code UAM), better known as Ooty, sits at about 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) in the Nilgiris, the end of the line for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. The little terminus, with 2 platforms and 3 tracks, has welcomed travellers escaping the plains' heat since the railway reached it in 1908. It belongs to Southern Railway's Salem division and is graded NSG-4.
The last stretch
The Nilgiri line was built in two stages. Trains climbed from Mettupalayam to Coonoor from June 1899, and the extension from Coonoor up to Udhagamandalam opened on 15 October 1908, completing the 46 km railway. The whole line joined the Mountain Railways of India UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005.
What makes the line special
- It is India's only rack railway: below Coonoor, trains grip a toothed rail to climb gradients as steep as 1 in 12.
- It runs over about 250 bridges and through 16 tunnels.
- Going down from Ooty to Mettupalayam is faster than coming up: the timetable allows about 215 minutes downhill against about 290 uphill.
Steam on display
Ooty station keeps the line's heritage visible: X-class locomotives, the Swiss-built rack engines that are the symbol of the Nilgiri railway, are preserved at the station.
A summer capital
Ooty was the summer headquarters of the Madras Presidency under British rule, and much of the town's character, from its botanical garden to its lake and colonial bungalows, dates from that era. The railway was built to serve that seasonal migration.
Planning a ride
- Ooty is one of 73 Tamil Nadu stations selected for the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
- Seats on the toy train are limited and sell out quickly in summer; book through the usual reservation system and check timings in our timetable search.
- Many visitors ride one way by train and return by road through the hairpin bends.