NMR services partially suspended

Workers involved in removing mud and bolders that had fallen on the train track near Marapallam on Thursday.

A landslip along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) route between Mettupalayam and Coonoor led to services being suspended on Thursday. It will remain suspended till Saturday. However, train services are according to schedule between Coonoor and Ooty Railway Stations.

The police and railway department officials said that the landslip had occurred around 18 km from the Mettupalayam Station, before Hillgrow. Due to heavy rain since Wednesday night, a massive landslide brought rock, mud and trees onto the tracks from the hillside.

As the section of the track affected by the landslip was only reachable by foot, around 100 workers have been mobilised to clear the debris. Heavy equipment and power tools are being used to clear the debris, and it is also suspected that the rack and pinion system used to haul the trains up the hill could be damaged.