As soon as the music of the song Chaiyya Chaiyya plays, the train in motion, the mist-covered mountains and Malaika Arora dancing along with Shah Rukh Khan start creating their own magic. The famous scene from Mani Ratnam's film Dil Se.. was shot on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in motion, as filming was not allowed at the Ooty railway station. And why are we reminding you of the scene? Because now, you too can take a ride on this historic rail line. It is also one of the UNESCO-listed Mountain Railways of India.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is 46 km long and goes from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam, otherwise known as Ooty. This train travels up from a height of 326 metres to 2,203 metres through forests, tea estates, viaducts, tunnels, and steep gradients. The railway track is part of the metre-gauge railway system and has a rack-and-pinion system.
The Ooty toy train starts from Mettupalayam at around 7:10 in the morning and arrives at Ooty at around 11:55 am, taking an approximate time of 4 hours 45 minutes to travel up. The down train starts from Ooty at around 2 pm and arrives at Mettupalayam between 5:30 and 5:35 in the evening.
The charges vary according to the type of class, route and date of travel. The details that have been provided for this journey include approximate charges of Rs 965 for second class and Rs 1,470 for first class. This may, however, vary. Ensure you check the actual charges that appear when booking through IRCTC.
The reservation period currently in place is 60 days before the day of journey. The seats are limited and may get overbooked soon during holidays in the summertime, weekends, and festivals.
Book your train ticket from the official IRCTC website or IRCTC Rail Connect app. Look for the train journey from Mettupalayam (MTP) to Udagamandalam (UAM), choose the train and class you want, add passenger details, and confirm your booking.
Here, Summer is loved because of the cooler weather. In the monsoon and post-monsoon season, there will be fresh greens and mist in the air, but excessive rainfall may cause disturbances in service. In winter, you get a more chilled-out trip with misty mornings. However, please check the weather forecast and train schedule before.
Check out the “I Love Ooty” point at Udagamandalam railway station, with the vintage coaches and station architecture in the background. Other photo points to consider include Coonoor railway station, Lovedale station, Tunnel Number 16 and tea estate scenery along the route to Coonoor/Wellington. For the trip from Ooty to Coonoor, taking photos on the left side of the train will yield good valley views.
The Udhagamandalam Railway Station is at a distance of 1.6km from the main district of Ooty, the Commercial Road and the Municipal Market. Staying around Upper Bazar or Charing Cross will keep you close to the station.
The Ooty toy train ride would be long and scenic but not fast. It would move through forests, tea gardens, valleys, bridges, tunnels, and hill stations like Coonoor, Wellington, Aravankadu, Ketti, and Lovedale. Pack plenty of water, snacks, a sweater, and ID proof.
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