A group of foreign tourists, who had chartered a special train from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam to experience the charms of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, were left disappointed on Wednesday after the railways switched from coal-powered steam engines to diesel engines at the Coonoor Railway Station, before finishing the trip to Udhagamandalam.
The group of eight tourists — all from England — had boarded the Nilgiri Mountain Railway at Mettupalayam, and arrived at Udhagamandalam around 3 p.m. They had paid ₹2.85 lakh for the privilege, officials from the Salem Division of the Southern Railway said.
Speaking to The Hindu at the Udhagamandalam Railway Station, Susan Allison, a traveller, said that she was “disappointed” that the railways switched locomotives midway. “We were made to understand, when we booked our tickets through our travel agent in New Delhi that the entire journey would be powered by a steam engine,” said Ms. Allison.
Be clearer
Her fellow traveller, Arthur Gilbert, said that all things considered, he had enjoyed the entire journey, but added that the railways should have made it clearer to passengers that the steam engine would only be used for half the trip.
A spokesperson for the railways said that all trains have to switch locomotives from coal-powered steam engines to diesel at the Coonoor railway station, due to the nature of the upward gradient between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam.
“We have clearly given the breakup of the journey to the trip organiser as well,” said the spokesperson.
