Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Mountain railway in Tamil Nadu, India
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a narrow-gauge line in Tamil Nadu that runs 46 kilometers from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam. Trains climb steep slopes through forest areas and open landscapes planted with tea on the way up.
Work on the line started in 1881 and was completed in 1908, with engineers using a rack system to handle the gradients. The line later became part of the Mountain Railways of India, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2005.
The line runs through tea-growing regions where travelers can watch workers tending crops on the slopes. Local residents use the trains for everyday trips and transport goods between mountain villages and lower towns.
Trains take almost five hours uphill and about three and a half hours downhill for the full trip. Travelers should book early as seats fill quickly, especially during peak season.
The rack and pinion system dates back to 1899 and remains in use today. Both steam and diesel locomotives work the line, pulling carriages through 16 tunnels and around 208 curves.
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